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Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha (tris'tăn du kOO'nu) [key], group of volcanic islands in the S Atlantic, about midway between S Africa and S America. The only habitable island of the group is Tristan da Cunha (1999 pop. 286), formed by a volcano rising to c.6,760 ft (2,060 m). The other islands are Gough, Nightingale, and Inaccessible, the last being the home of the flightless rail, an almost extinct bird. The first inhabitants came from St. Helena in the 19th cent. Fishing is the chief industry.

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The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

More on Tristan da Cunha from Fact Monster:

  • St. Helena - Information on St. Helena — geography, history, politics, government, economy, population statistics, culture, religion, languages, largest cities.
  • Tristan da Cunha: History - History The island group was discovered by the Portuguese in 1506 and was visited by whalers, seal ...
  • Tristan da Cunha: Bibliography - Bibliography See A. Falk-Rønne, Back to Tristan (1967).
  • Saint Helena - Saint Helena Saint Helena , island, 47 sq mi (122 sq km), in the S Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 mi (1,931 ...
  • volcano: Historical Volcanoes - Historical Volcanoes Notable eruptions within historic times have been those of Vesuvius, in Italy ...

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