Talk:Tristan da Cunha/Archive 1

Potatoes
Apparently this place is famous for its potatoes, the finest in the world- someone please elaborate on this (I heard a potato expert raving about them on NPR)
 * I have added an external link (BBC-"Wallowing off the coast of Tristan") but it does have some new information and could be used as a citation for several new "revelations". Concerning potatoes, it says that "Sixty years ago all their business was conducted by barter (to send a letter to England cost five potatoes)." - I have left it to someone else to phrase this appropriately under "Economy". Ibjle (talk) 15:09, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

Shouldn't something be said about the novel by Raoul Schrott?
 * Depends what the novel is and what relation it has to the island. Feel free to add something if you feel it's relevant.  Worldtraveller 22:49, 2 June 2006 (UTC)
 * "Tristan da Cunha. Oder Die Hälfte der Erde" is quite an amazin novel and tells alot about the island. But, as far as I can tell, it has never been translated to English. So it is probably not that interesting for readers of the English Wikipedia. 84.137.78.41 21:41, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Flora and fauna
Surprised that there is so little on the flora and fauna of the islands. Considering how remote they are, with a mild climate, I would expect them to have some very unusual birds at least.
 * There's nothing anywhere about their climate.--99.101.160.159 (talk) 05:02, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

Area figure
Is it just me, or is the conversion between the figures for square miles and square kilometers not even close to correct? My calculator tells me that 120.9 mi2 is equal to 313.1 km2. Am I crazy? Is my calculator broken?


 * Your calculator is giving the correct answer. I can't see the particular conversion you mentioned, but it's true that the accuracy of some conversions in the article varies wildly one to the other.  One in particular is 3 miles out and is rounded up to 10 miles, but some others are more accurate.
 * The problem arises when the "convert" function is used without specifying the rounding of the result. That's been documented already here
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Analysis_of_Template:Convert_problems#Default_rounding_to_nearest_10_units
 * I'll take a look at the conversions and make appropriate adjustments to them.Twistlethrop (talk) 22:10, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Allan Crawford
Interesting obituary of Allan Crawford in today's Daily Telegraph. He had a long association with Tristan da Cunha so perhaps some be incorporated into the article about the island? --jmb 11:54, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Tristan stamp.jpg
Image:Tristan stamp.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 04:46, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

Virus Outbreak
I just read there's a virus outbreak on the island, causing severe breathing problems. Anybody know any details? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7126563.stm -OOPSIE- 11:20, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

Mobile phone network
What mobile phone network do they use, and what about internet access? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.20.171.109 (talk) 21:28, 4 December 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't know if there is a mobile phone network there. For internet they are likely to use fixed VSAT or BGAN terminals. Any mobile phone network will have backhaul via satellite since there is no submarine cable. Iridium (satellite) phones should work there but I have no idea what phones they actually use.

Recent distance change
An IP user changed the number of miles Tristan is from other islands, I am inclined to think its vandalism but couldn't find any reliable information on google about how far it actually is. So i'm leaving it alone for now Towel401 (talk) 12:59, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

People?
Who are the peoples who inhabit the island? The demographics section isn't very clear. Ethnically British or some kind of native people? - Yorkshirian (talk) 18:10, 25 June 2008 (UTC)
 * No native people. Joao  pais  02:33, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Dependency
Is Tristan da Cunha a "dependency of a dependency"? Joao pais  02:34, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Yes and Gough Island is a dependency of a dependency of a dependency(!). "Top level" dependencies were renamed in 2002 as British overseas territories though. Christopedia (talk) 05:18, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

7 family names i dutch 2 italian see the tristan news webpage for acurate info —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.76.32.181 (talk) 18:21, 15 September 2010 (UTC)

Part of South America or Africa?
These island are part of South America or Africa continents?Agre22 (talk) 15:19, 13 September 2008 (UTC)agre22

It is located slighter closer to the African mainland and is considered part of Africa. Christopedia (talk) 05:19, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm surprised ...
Aren't those islanders worried about any volcanic eruptions? I can truly say these islanders are some of the bravest people on Earth in order to be so far away from civilization, and if that volcano erupts, well I guess they're just in trouble. The island's website has pretty decent information on the island. Lucky for me though, a majority of Tristaners may have Italian ancestry, and also a lot of the population is Roman Catholic. I hope they at least do something to modernize the island from the Ice Age (literally!) into the Internet Age. Saluti, Il  Studioso  01:28, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Asthma
Just watching a documentary about asthma and the canadian doctor that studied the Asthma on the island said that 3 of original women had indeed asthma, but apparently also the two italians that shipwrecked there. And he also said that half of original population thus had astma. The demographics section gives a different picture with 15 ancestors and only 3 with asthma. Just though I'd mention this here. It's a bbc documentary aired here in Finland under a different title, could be Horizon. Kynde (talk) 21:00, 27 April 2010 (UTC)

Most remote?
Pitcairn Islands and Tristan da Cunha both seem to claim this.--Chris (クリス • フィッチ) (talk) 16:03, 21 October 2010 (UTC)


 * The Pitcairn Islands aren't that far from French Polynesia, but Easter Island is really far from anywhere.


 * The Tristan da Cunha article has a citation from a web article written by a professional geographer but the Pitcairn Islands article does not provide any source for its claim. Also, the Geography of the Pitcairn Islands article claims they are "one of the most remote sites of human habitation on Earth", again without a source. --GeoWriter (talk) 16:34, 21 October 2010 (UTC)

Hawaiian Islands also claims to be about 1,860 miles (3,000 km) from the nearest continent, greater than the 2,816 kilometres (1,750 mi) claimed for Tristan da Cunha. The point about Easter Island is irrelevant as it is not an archipelago unless you count a few offshore rocks. The Kerguelen Islands could also be called the most isolated archipelago as the nearest land mass is Antarctica and the nearest inhabited landmass, Madagascar is over 2000 miles distant (though small unhabited islands like Heard Island and Île Saint-Paul are much closer). It may be there is no good definition of what it means to be the most remote. --SEKluth (talk) 04:40, 6 July 2012 (UTC)

My great grandad (who is still alive) was born in Tristan da Cunha but he had to leave because a volcano erupted I think it was called Queen Mary's peak Lucy0115 (talk) 19:57, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

Social Organization
Apart from a glancing mention of communal lands, there is nothing here about the social experiment that created today's community. While religious groups such as the Shakers and the Harmonists founded settlements based on communal property and shared profit, Tristan da Cunha's impulse was apparently secular and probably pragmatic: it takes a village to survive and all that. Apart from the shared land, how much of the original agreement still stands? Are there any other modern examples of this kind of arrangement? (i.e., secular, voluntary and encompasing a...how to put it? A governmental entity?  That is, this isn't just confined to some people on a commune, but upheld by the entire island!). As the foundational idea of the Tristan islander's life--or at least the one that certainly set them apart from other First World settlers in the nineteenth century--this is a social and economic story that needs to appear here. Arthurdoodles (talk) 11:12, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Twentieth Century section, visit by Prince Phillip in 1957
Perhaps I'm missing something, but wasn't his title at the time "Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh"?Terry Thorgaard (talk) 17:31, 7 July 2014 (UTC)

Convert templates
I reverted some changes to convert templates in the lead. The extra precision on 2400 km from South Africa is incorrect. The source even says "about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers)". Two significant digits is correct, and is the default for the template in this case. The other precision changes don't do anything since they are already default. Adding "abbr=off" might be appropriate on first use, but I don't think it's helpful after that in the same paragraph. Kendall-K1 (talk) 15:08, 5 March 2016 (UTC)

Puma's Mar Mostro
A paragraph was added to the "21st century" section, entirely unsourced, about the ship Puma's Mar Mostro. I have deleted the paragraph as non-encyclopedic and the claims as being overblown, as well as it being unsourced. Even if the event were sourced, it does not appear to have any particular relation to Tristan da Cunha's history. --Bejnar (talk) 18:10, 22 March 2016 (UTC)

Tristão da Cunha
Article needs link to article of the namesake of the island. CS 15:56, 18 June 2016 (UTC) Tristão da Cunha — Preceding unsigned comment added by CSjoholm (talk • contribs) 15:56, 18 June 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 8 external links on Tristan da Cunha. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20111117211803/http://www.climatetemp.info/tristan-da-cunha/ to http://www.climatetemp.info/tristan-da-cunha/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20120213134120/http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=95431 to http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=95431
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.tristandc.com/wildwhales.php
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110715225453/http://www.sainthelenabank.com/tristan.htm to http://www.sainthelenabank.com/tristan.htm
 * Corrected formatting/usage for https://www.telecompaper.com/news/global-crossing-extends-fco-network-to-tristan-da-cunha--518367
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090717013915/http://www.cnntraveller.com/2007/01/01/world-report-2/ to http://cnntraveller.com/2007/01/01/world-report-2/
 * Added archive http://www.webcitation.org/6QYD69Nli?url=http://www.tristantimes.com/art_1481_32_18.html to http://www.tristantimes.com/art_1481_32_18.html
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.bweaver.nom.sh/rogers/intro.htm

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 00:07, 21 May 2017 (UTC)

Pronunciation of the island name
There is no nasal sound in Cunha. It is pronounced COO-na. I am a frequent visitor to the island. Please do not insert the /j/ in the phonetic transcription. It is incorrect. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.27.177.74 (talk) 02:27, 9 September 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 4 external links on Tristan da Cunha. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.tristandc.com/wildwhales.php
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20151126010227/http://www.ascension-flights.com/ascension-flights-schedule.htm to http://www.ascension-flights.com/ascension-flights-schedule.htm
 * Added tag to http://www.ukota.org/tristan_da_cunha.asp?id=6&portal=OT
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.tristandc.com/chiefislander.php
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.tristantimes.com/art_1481_32_18.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 12:59, 2 December 2017 (UTC)

thanks
thanks for this interesting article. --Sm8900 (talk) 19:38, 6 December 2019 (UTC)

Los Angeles Times editorial and Tristan Chief Villager response
Found: WhisperToMe (talk) 06:48, 6 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Editorial: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-05-oe-rodriguez5-story.html
 * Chief Villager response: http://www.tristantimes.com/art_1246_56_8.html

Red dots on map
There are four dots on the map, two of which aren't anywhere near the island (screenshot on imgur for reference: https://i.imgur.com/Kz9g0Kh.png). What are these dots? CrocodilesAreForWimps (talk) 21:49, 21 August 2020 (UTC)
 * The more northern ones are St. Helena and Ascension. This map should either not display them or identify them explicitly. Largoplazo (talk) 22:50, 21 August 2020 (UTC)
 * As no explanation added, I have removed those two locations. This article is about the one archipelago of Tristan da Cunha, not the political entity Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. If other places of relevant to TdC are to be included, Cape Town should probably be included, per relevance to history and communications.
 * Incidentally, the map projection chosen (Lambert azimuthal equal-area) is unfortunate as it gives the visual impression that the latitude of TdC (37°S) is the same as Rio Grande, Brazil and Lambert's Bay, South Africa, both at 32°S. From that point of view, this one is much better (but brings the red dots back). Davidships (talk) 01:30, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

Possession was abandoned
Possession was abandoned in November 1817, although some members of the garrison, notably William Glass, stayed and formed the nucleus of a permanent population.[21] The islands were occupied by a garrison of British Marines, and a civilian population gradually grew. Not clear what "possession was abandoned" means (and the British Museum reference is not accessible to me). Does it mean that the British Government no longer had any interest in the islands or who might annex them? Or something different? Also, when were the islands again garrisoned (that implies something more official than Glass's remnants)? Davidships (talk) 23:43, 10 January 2021 (UTC)

Elusive reference
This weblink is cited a couple of times, but I cannot get it to produce anything other than a "File not found." error. Tried with Firefox and Edge, with no success, nor could I get web archive to locate it. What am I doing wrong, as it seems that the editor can see it OK? Davidships (talk) 20:47, 18 April 2021 (UTC)

Fauna and flora (reptiles)
As far as I can tell the two phantom skinks which are reported to live on the island, are entirely a hoax (Also there isn't even a citation!). Given the fact that there is literally no information or anywhere which states the existence of these lizards let alone any reference to its' genus. And the information given on the lizard is also outlandish, reporting a native range of islands 2000 kilometres away, them having been introduced to 11 different places and them being popular pets in Brazil. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.238.192.187 (talk) 09:58, 7 October 2021 (UTC)