Medical practice on Tristan da Cunha – the remotest island community in the world
Midway between Africa and South America, on the edge of the ‘roaring 40s’ (37°S 12°W) is an archipelago of five tiny volcanic islands. Tristan, a British Overseas Territory, is the largest – seven miles across and rising 7,000 feet above sea level. There is no airport, no air access except for an occasional ship’s helicopter and no sheltered anchorage. The nearest port is over 1,700 miles away – a week or more by ship and the tiny harbour requires constant repair due to the impact of the relentless South Atlantic.