Loneliest Islanders in All the World
140 people lived on the South Atlantic island Tristan de Cunha, according to a 1925 New York Times Magazine profile. Over the past century, that population has surged to... 233.
A century, ago, journalist Clair Price profiled the island's history:
Although the island was discovered in 1506 by the first Viceroy of Portuguese India, after whom it is named, it was not inhabited until 1810. In the War of 1812, American commerce destroyed used it as a base, and in 1815 it was annexed by the British governor of Cape Colony. When Napoleon was sent to St. Helena, the British garrisoned Tristan to prevent it from being used as a base for his rescue. When the garrison was withdrawn, Corporal William Glass, a Scotchman, remained with a few others as permanent settlers.
Today, the island remains a British overseas territory, making its inhabitants British citizens. The island's website maintains an updated population count, including every time somebody is born, dies, or leaves. But as remote and isolated as they are, apparently even they aren't immune from the past decade's declining birthrate trend:
Loneliest Islanders in All the World: On Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic 140 People Wait Years for Sight of a Ship
Published: Sunday, April 26, 1925