What to know about Tristan da Cunha, one of the world’s most remote islands with a suspected hantavirus case

LONDON, May 9 — The UK health security agency said yesterday a new suspected case ‌of hantavirus was identified in a British national on the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, as authorities continue efforts to track down ‌passengers from the affected luxury cruise ship and their close contacts.

The ship, MV Hondius, stopped on the island on April 15.

One of world’s most remote islands

The island, the only inhabited one of a remote volcanic archipelago, is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. As of May 2026, 216 people lived on its only settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, largely descended from a ‌handful of 19th-century settlers.

It is widely regarded as one ⁠of the world’s most remote inhabited ⁠islands. The nearest inhabited land, St ⁠Helena, is about 2,400km away, while ⁠South Africa lies about 2,800km to the east.

Since there are no airstrips, the only way to reach the island is ⁠by sea, with ships departing from Cape Town roughly 10 times a year.

Small, communal economy

According to the archipelago’s administration website, Tristan da Cunha’s economy is based on subsistence farming and fishing, the sale of postage stamps and coins and, to ⁠a lesser extent, tourism.

Tourism centres on nature-based excursions, such as hikes around Queen Mary’s Peak volcano, whose 1961 eruption forced ⁠the temporary evacuation of the entire population to the United Kingdom.

The society ⁠is based ⁠on equality principles. All land is communally owned, and stock levels are tightly regulated to preserve grazing land and prevent wealth disparities among households. ‌Foreigners are not allowed to buy land or settle permanently on the island. — Reuters