Tristan da Cunha is thought to have been formed by a long-lived centre of upwelling mantle called the Tristan hotspot. Tristan da Cunha is the main island of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, which consists of the following islands:

• Tristan da Cunha, the main and largest island, area: 98 square kilometres (37.8 sq mi)^[47] (37°6′44″S 12°16′56″W / 37.11222°S 12.28222°W / -37.11222; -12.28222 (Tristan da Cunha))
• Inaccessible Island, area: 14 square kilometres (5.4 sq mi)
• Nightingale Islands, area: 3.4 square kilometres (1.3 sq mi)
  • Nightingale Island, area: 3.2 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi)
  • Middle Island, area: 0.1 square kilometres (25 acres)
  • Stoltenhoff Island, area: 0.1 square kilometres (25 acres)
• Gough Island (Diego Alvarez), area: 91 square kilometres (35 sq mi)^[48]

The island has a unique social and economic structure in which all resident families farm and all land is communally owned. Outsiders are prohibited from buying land or settling on Tristan. Besides subsistence agriculture, major industries are commercial fishing and government. Major export industries are the Tristan rock lobster (Jasus) fishery, the sale of the island's postage stamps and coins, and limited tourism. Like most British Overseas Territories, it is not part of the European Union, but is rather a member of the EU's Overseas Countries and Territories Association.

When someday comes you'll need to get in.

When someday comes you'll need to be able to get around.