Voting Station

Tristan da Cunha

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Location

The Resume

    (1506- )
    First sighted by Portuguese explorer Tristao da Cunha (1506)
    First permanent settlement established by American Jonathan Lambert (1810)
    Claimed by the United Kingdom (August 14, 1816)
    Declared a dependency of St. Helena (1938)
    Under a new constitution, became co-equal with St. Helena and Ascension in a British overseas territory (2009)
    Population: 264 (2010)
    Capital: Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Why Tristan da Cunha might be annoying:

    It is described as 'the most remote inhabited location on Earth.'
    The nearest inhabited territory, the island of St. Helena, is 1,510 miles away.
    Up to the mid-20th century, the inhabitants used potatoes for currency.
    The entire population was temporarily evacuated because of volcanic activity (1961-63).
    It has no airport, so it can only be reached by boat or seaplane.
    Its main exports are spiny lobster and postage stamps.
    It has only one doctor, therefore medical emergencies may require signaling passing fishing boats so a patient can be transferred to South Africa, a mere 1,750 miles away.

Why Tristan da Cunha might not be annoying:

    During World War II, it was the site of secret Royal Navy base to monitor German shipping and U-Boat movements in the South Atlantic.
    It uses the British pound for currency. (A step up from potatoes.)
    It is a nesting site for 15 species of birds.
    Health care is free.
    Many residents work multiple jobs, with one visitor writing that you might 'come across the same person working at the post office, the cafe, the pub and the fish factory in the space of a day.'
    The inhabitants have been described as 'moral, religious, hospitable to strangers, well-mannered and industrious, healthy and long-lived.'
    The islands were given a United Kingdom postal code to make it easier for the residents to order goods online (2005).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 20 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying