Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Settlement in Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the only settlement on Tristan da Cunha and sits on a flat coastal strip below the slopes of Queen Mary's Peak volcano. Stone and timber houses stand along a few unpaved roads, and a small harbor with a jetty serves as the landing point for supply vessels.
After William Glass arrived in 1816 with his family and a few soldiers, the island remained permanently inhabited even after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1961, a volcanic eruption forced the entire population to evacuate to England, but almost everyone returned two years later.
Residents speak English with a dialect that preserves elements from the 19th century and incorporates words from Dutch and seafaring. Many families carry only a few surnames that trace back to the first settlers, and they share tasks in livestock raising and fishing.
Distances are short, as almost all buildings sit within a small area between coastline and hillside. Visitors must wait for arriving ships, which often delay for several days depending on weather and swell.
The place has no airport or regular ferry link, so arrival is possible only on supply ships from South Africa that call several times a year. All cars on the island are second-hand imports, and the top speed is about 20 miles per hour (30 kilometers per hour) on the short routes around the settlement.
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