Tristan da Cunha is one of the most remote inhabited islands on Earth 🏝️ Just over 200 people live there, while their nearest neighbors are almost 2,500 km away in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. So how did people even end up on Tristan da Cunha? It all started with Napoleon Bonaparte 🇫🇷 After he lost the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Britain exiled him to Saint Helena and stationed a garrison on Tristan da Cunha in case his supporters tried to use the island as a base to rescue him. When the British troops left, a Scottish corporal, his wife, their children and two stonemasons decided to stay. More sailors later joined the settlement, but soon there was one obvious problem: five bachelors and only one married woman. A passing merchant captain sailed to Saint Helena and brought five women willing to move to Tristan da Cunha. According to legend, he received a sack of potatoes for each woman 🥔 More sailors and shipwreck survivors later joined the community. Today, 97% of Tristan da Cunha islanders share just seven surnames 🤯 #tristandacunha #isolatedplace #remoteisland #island #sainthelena #britishhistory #britishoverseasterritories #islandlife #remoteplaces #tinyisland #ocean #tristanisland #learn #maps #learning #history #geography