The Remotest Inhabited Island on Earth

Lovers of adventure often like to venture out to the furthest reaches of the planet. Whether that’s climbing tall mountains or visiting distant, exotic islands, adventure is remote by definition.

With that in mind, we’re taking a look at the remotest inhabited island on Earth: the beautiful and isolated Tristan de Cunha island.

The Remotest Inhabited Island on Earth: Tristan de Cunha

Tristan de Cunha

The island chain and main island are both called Tristan de Cunha, though the main island is the only one in the region that is inhabited. The extremely remote island range is no less than 1,511 miles from Cape Town, South Africa. The next closest people to those who live on the island would be 1,343 miles away on Saint Helena.

The nearby Nightingale Islands both serve as wildlife reserves. There is a weather monitoring station nearby, and some 250 or so permanent residents live on the island. The island’s residents are citizens of the British Overseas Territories.

Getting to the Island

Adventurers might find making their way to Tristan to be a little difficult. For one thing, the remotest inhabited island on Earth isn’t exactly a breeze to get to. There is no airstrip or airport to speak of on the island. The most direct route to the island would be via boat.

Boats headed for the island leave from Cape Town about eight or nine times per year. The journey takes no less than a week from the port. One could alternatively take a boat from St. Helena, which does sport its own airport.

However, boats leave from St. Helena for Tristan so infrequently that one would likely need to commission their own boat for such a journey.

Other Remote Points

While Tristan is remote indeed, it’s not nearly so remote as some other extreme points on Earth. Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean, for instance, is the furthest distance from any landmass on Earth. Someone standing on a boat at Point Nemo would be closer to the people on the International Space Station than any terrestrial human.

Tristan de Cunha, however, is the most remote location that a normal person could reasonably visit. If you’re looking to visit an incredibly remote and hard-to-access location, perhaps a journey to Tristan is in order.