Albert J. Beintema

The Remotest Island Albert J. Beintema

Tristan da Cunha, Britain's remotest territory, lies in the middle of the South Atlantic, halfway Cape Town and Buenos Aires. It has a fascinating history, yielding many good stories. Tristan has about 250 inhabitants, who grow potatoes, fish for lobsters, and sell postal stamps.

The Tristan archipelago hosts millions of seabirds and a handfull of peculiar, endemic landbirds. Half a century ago, Albert Beintema stumbled upon the story of a mysterious flightless Moorhen of Tristan da Cunha, called Island Cock, which became extinct more than a hundred years ago, and which, according to the islanders and some scientists, did not even ever exist. Beintema unravelled the history of this strange bird, and brings it back to life, together with lots of other stories about the island. Over a period of almost thirty years he has been to Tristan da Cunha fourteen times. The Remotest Island also includes chapters on Tristan's 'sister islands' South Georgia, Saint Helena and Ascension.