Skip to main content

Tristan Da Cunha

History

Before Doomsday

Tristan da Cunha was annexed to the UK in 1816, mainly to prevent any Bonapartists from using it to mount a rescue mission to free Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gradually a colony took shape there. It was not until World War II that Britain organised Tristan da Cunha's government, designating it a dependency of St. Helena.
Between 1961 and 1963, the entire population was resettled in Calshot, near Southampton, England, following a volcanic eruption. When they returned home, they left behind a small Tristanian community.

Doomsday

Tristan da Cunha did not have any military bases, so it was not a target during World War III. Like the rest of The British overseas territories, it lost communication with London. For a while, however, it was able to maintain contact with St. Helena and the Falkland Islands. News of the Doomsday attacks was received with horror. The island's society may have looked the picture of rugged self-reliance, but all the adults could remember the evacuations of the 60s, which had shown them the extent to which they still depended on the mother country. Furthermore, everyone in the closely-related community had family members in England who had probably not survived.
The 12 South Africans manning a weather station on Gough Island were lost in a storm while sailing to Tristan da Cunha in late September.

After Doomsday

As fuel ran out, Tristan da Cunha became even more isolated. Tristanians received word of HMS Survivor 2's landing at St. Helena in 1984, meaning that, miraculously, some Britons had survived and were moving to South Africa.
Gough Island

In the late 80s, the islanders created a new government. It was clear that neither Great Britain nor St. Helena was capable of governing them any longer. Without renouncing their loyalty to either the kingdom or the overseas territory, they held their first elections for a new Administrator in 1989. News of King Andrew's coronation and move to Africa reached the island around this time. The islanders remained loyal to him as the rightful King of Great Britain and Head of the Commonwealth.
In 1995 RMS St. Helena visited Tristan da Cunha, the first major relief expedition since 1983. On the ship were the 31 surviving Tristanians who had survived the trek from Calshot, to the Isle of Wight, to South Africa; and who now were able to reunite with their families. The expedition promised regular aid in return for becoming an overseas territory of New Britain. The island council quickly voted to approve this status before the ship even left. Once ratified, this change finally separated Tristan da Cunha from St. Helena. Like St. Helena and Ascension, Tristan da Cunha remained largely autonomous, even keeping the power to elect its own Administrator, who now was promoted to the title of Governor.
Since then, modernity has partially come back to the island, but in general it still relies on subsistence farming. New Britain refurbished Gough Island's weather station in 2007.
Gough Island's

When South American forces invaded Cape Town in 2006, Tristan's position halfway between the two continents suddenly became strategic. New Britain sent a small fleet and a garrison of troops to the island to discourage any attempt to claim it for Brazil or Argentina. Like the Falklanders and South Georgians, the Tristanians were a British population who felt caught in South America's expanding sphere of influence, and the island council issued a defiant statement declaring that it would "strongly resist" any attempted occupation. Since then, tensions have eased between New Britain and the South Americans, and the South America-sponsored RZA is now a close economic partner. The troops stationed on Tristan were brought home in 2009.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

1. Big Ben - it's actually a huge bell inside the clock tower, which in turn is called the tower of Elizabeth II. 2. The font Times New Roman was created by the printers of the London newspaper "The Times" in 1931. 3. The population of London speaks more than 300 languages, more than in any other city in the world. 4. The London buses were not always red. Until 1907 on different routes in London operated buses of different colors. 4. The London buses were not always red. Until 1907 on different routes in London operated buses of different colors. 5. In the huge Westminster Palace in London there are 1000 rooms, 100 staircases, 11 courtyards, eight bars and six restaurants that are not open to the public, but are financed from the state budget. Westminster Palace was specially built on the river bank so that it could not be completely surrounded by a crowd. 6. Some strange names of London streets: The Cyclops Stables, Black Boy's Lane, Bleeding Heart Street and Ha H
Post a Comment
Read more

Latvia

Latvia as a whole is known far less than its capital, Riga, or the most popular resort city of Jurmala. Many people know Riga as the largest city in the Baltic States with a huge number of architectural monuments belonging to completely different eras. Here and the Dome Cathedral, which was built in 1211 and which houses one of the most famous organs in the world, and the Peter Church with a 120-meter tower, the central silhouette of a huge number of postcards with views of the city, and the whole area of ​​incredible beauty of houses made in Art Nouveau . By the way, it is estimated that 40% of buildings in the center of Riga are built in art nouveau style, which is more than in any other European city. But Riga and Jurmala are just a small part of the beauty that will open before the eyes of a traveler who has decided to travel inland. Knightly castles, palaces of barons and small manor houses remained throughout Latvia. Jelgava, the capital of the Duchy of Courland, or Ru
Post a Comment
Read more

Sigulda

The town of Sigulda is another of the interesting places to visit in Latvia and an excellent destination if you plan to enjoy outdoor activities as it is within driving distance of the majestic Gauja National Park which is just 10 minutes drive west of Sigulda. The main attractions in Sigulda are the ruins of Krimulda Castle, the lovely 19th century Sigulda New Castle and the knight’s stronghold.  Turaida The small town of Turaida is home to the Turaida Museum Reserve which is also on my list of interesting places to visit in Latvia. Turaida Museum Reserve is home to the Turaida Castle which is a beautifully restored medieval castle which also offers amazing views of the Gauja Valley.You’ll also find at the reserve, Folk song Park which boasts interesting sculptures of Latvian folk song heroes. By the way, Turaida is just 10 minutes drive north of Sigulda and can easily be reached by bus so, it's worth adding to your itinerary of things to do in Latvia.
Post a Comment
Read more