Andy Isaacson (Tristan da Cunha); Anthony Pierce/Alamy Stock Photo (Sign)

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Is This the Loneliest Place on Earth?

The island of Tristan da Cunha is a six-day boat ride from the nearest town. So why do people live there?

September 2018

By Tod Olson

Suppose you could view the Atlantic Ocean from high in the sky. Look closely. You might see a tiny speck in the middle of the water. It’s an island called Tristan da Cunha. Zoom in and you’ll see about 270 people, 300 cows, 500 sheep, and a whole lot of penguins.

If you watch for a year, you won’t see a single plane arrive. There’s no airport on Tristan. Every month or so, a boat will bring visitors—but not many. The boat will also bring mail and supplies.

Now scan the ocean. Eventually, you’ll find another town. It’s on an island 1,514 miles away. If you could walk there, it would take you almost two months. That makes the people on Tristan the most isolated people on Earth. And that’s exactly the way they like it.

What if you could see the Atlantic Ocean from the sky? You might see a tiny speck in the middle. It’s an island called Tristan da Cunha. It has about 270 people, 300 cows, and 500 sheep. It has a lot of penguins too.

No planes land on the island. There’s no airport there. Sometimes a boat brings a few visitors. The boat brings mail and supplies too.

Now scan the ocean. Find the closest town. It’s on an island 1,514 miles away. If you could walk there, it would take almost two months. The people on Tristan are the most isolated people on Earth. And they like it that way.

Imagine viewing the Atlantic Ocean from high in the sky. Look closely, and you might glimpse a tiny speck in the middle of the water. It’s an island called Tristan da Cunha. Zoom in and you’ll see about 270 people, 300 cows, 500 sheep, and many penguins.

If you watch for a year, you won’t witness the arrival of even one airplane—there’s no airport on Tristan. Every month or so, a boat will bring visitors (but not many), along with mail and supplies.

Now scan the ocean, and eventually you’ll locate another town. It’s on an island 1,514 miles away. If you could walk there, it would take you almost two months. That makes the people on Tristan the most isolated people on Earth—and that’s exactly the way they like it.

A Hard Life

Andy Isaacson

About 270 people live on Tristan. Most of them work as farmers and fishermen.

Life on Tristan has never been easy. The British tried to build a military base there in 1816. They gave up after a year. But a soldier and his family talked a few people into staying.

Those people slowly built a community. Few trees grow on the island. So they gathered wood that washed ashore. They used it to build homes and boats.

For food, they raised cows, sheep, and pigs. They fished and planted potatoes. They promised to share everything they had.

Occasionally, ships brought supplies to Tristan. But for decades, no one there used money. Instead, people on the island traded potatoes for the supplies. It cost five potatoes to send a piece of mail.

Today, nearly everyone on Tristan is a farmer. The island’s main industry is fishing. It has a single factory that cans fish.

Life on the island can be hard. In 1816, the British tried to build a military base there. They gave up after a year. But a few people stayed.

Few trees grow on the island. So the people found wood that washed up on shore. They used it to build homes and boats.

For food, they raised cows, sheep, and pigs. They fished. They grew potatoes. And they shared everything.

Ships brought supplies to the island. But at first, no one there used money. They traded potatoes for the supplies. It cost five potatoes to send a piece of mail.

Today, most people on the island are farmers. The island’s only industry is fishing. It has one factory. The factory cans fish.

Life on Tristan has never been easy. The British attempted to establish a military base there in 1816. They abandoned the project after a year, but a soldier and his family persuaded a few people to stay.

Those people gradually created a community. Because few trees grow on the island, the settlers gathered wood that washed ashore and used it to build homes and boats.

For food, the settlers raised cattle, sheep, and pigs. They also fished and planted potatoes. They promised to share everything they had.

Occasionally, ships brought supplies to Tristan—but no one there used money at first. Until then, people on the island traded potatoes for the supplies. The price for sending a piece of mail was five potatoes.

Today, nearly everyone on Tristan is a farmer. The island’s only industry is fishing, and its single factory produces canned fish.

Living on the Edge

Several times, bad luck has nearly destroyed the town on Tristan. In 1885, 15 men died in a boat accident. That left 13 women and only 4 adult men on the island. Still, everyone stayed.

In 1961, a bigger disaster struck. A volcano on the island erupted. It ruined the factory and damaged the town. All 290 people on the island fled to England. Most of the Tristanians had never seen a car or a movie theater. And they weren’t impressed. Nearly all of them moved back to the island and rebuilt their town.

Tristan has had some bad luck. In 1885, 15 men died in a boat accident. That left 13 women and only 4 adult men on the island. Still, they all stayed.

In 1961, disaster struck. A volcano on the island erupted. It ruined the factory. It damaged the town. All 290 people on the island left. They went to England. Most had never seen a car or a movie theater. They were not impressed. Almost all of them moved back to the island. They rebuilt their town.

On several occasions, misfortune has nearly destroyed the town on Tristan. In 1885, 15 men died in a boat accident. That left 13 women and only 4 adult men on the island, and yet everyone decided to stay.

In 1961, a volcano on the island erupted, destroying the factory and damaging the town. All 290 people on the island fled to England. Most of the Tristanians had never seen a car or a movie theater, and they weren’t impressed. Almost all of them moved back to the island and rebuilt their town.

One Big Family

What’s so special about life on this lonely chunk of rock? For islanders like Harold Green, that’s an easy question to answer.

Green has lived on Tristan his whole life. He left when the volcano erupted. But England was too loud and too crowded for him. He came back because the island is “calm and peaceful.”

He loves living in a place where he knows everyone. Tristanians don’t lock their doors, he says. And neighbors help each other out. If someone’s roof leaks, neighbors help fix it.

Life on Tristan started with a promise to share everything. And in 200 years, not much has changed.

What’s so great about life on the island? For Harold Green, that’s easy to answer.

Green has lived on Tristan all his life. He left when the volcano erupted. But he didn’t like England. He found it loud and crowded. The island is peaceful, he says.

Green knows everyone on the island. He likes that. Islanders don’t lock their doors. And they help each other. If your roof leaks, neighbors help fix it.

Life on Tristan began with a promise to share. Since then, not much has changed.

What’s so appealing about life on this lonely chunk of rock? For islanders like Harold Green, that’s an easy question to answer.

Green has lived on Tristan his entire life. He relocated to England when the volcano erupted, but he found it noisy and too crowded. He came back because the island is “calm and peaceful.”

Green feels fortunate to live in a community where he knows everyone. Tristanians don’t lock their doors, he says. And they help each other: If your roof leaks, neighbors help repair it.

Life on Tristan began with a promise to share everything—and in 200 years, very little has changed.

This Is the Most Crowded Place on Earth

Life isn’t easy for the 19 million people who live in the city of Dhaka. So why do they stay?

September 2018

By Tod Olson

If you fly to the city of Dhaka, don’t expect to get anywhere quickly. The airport is 8 miles away from the city. It can take three hours to make the trip.

Thousands of bicycle taxis clog the streets. Buses get so full that people ride on the roof. The traffic is so bad that people don’t visit friends very often. It takes too long to get there.

Welcome to the most crowded city on the planet. Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh, a country in South Asia. It may not sound like a fun place to live. But that hasn’t stopped people from moving there.

Almost 19 million people live in Dhaka. Every year, 400,000 more squeeze into the city. And they’re not moving out.

If you fly to the city of Dhaka, don’t expect to move fast. The airport is 8 miles from the city. The trip can take three hours.

Bicycle taxis clog the streets. Buses get so full that people ride on the roof. The traffic is bad. People don’t visit friends much. It takes too long to get there.

Welcome to the most crowded city on Earth. Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. That’s a country in South Asia. It may not sound like fun to live in Dhaka. But people keep moving there.

Almost 19 million people live in the city. Every year, 400,000 more move in. And they don’t leave.

If you fly to the city of Dhaka, don’t expect to get anywhere quickly. The airport is 8 miles away from the city, and it can take three hours to make the trip.

Thousands of bicycle taxis clog the streets, and buses get so overcrowded that passengers ride on the roof. Because the traffic is so bad, people don’t visit friends very often. Traveling from place to place is simply too time-consuming.

Welcome to the most crowded city on the planet. Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh, a country in South Asia. It may not sound like an enjoyable place to live, but that certainly hasn’t stopped people from moving there.

Almost 19 million people live in Dhaka. Every year, 400,000 more squeeze into the city—and they’re not moving out.

A Broken City

Yousuf Tushar/LightRocket via Getty Images

All Aboard
Trains get so full in Dhaka that people ride on the roof!

Dhaka is part of a worldwide trend. Millions of people are moving from the countryside to cities. More than half the world’s population now lives in cities. Some of the fastest-growing cities are in poorer countries, like Bangladesh.

Like many of these cities, Dhaka struggles to support its new residents. There isn’t enough housing, so homeless people crowd the sidewalks. Smoke from factories clouds the air. Sewers clog when it rains, and water floods the city. And the traffic in Dhaka may be the worst in the world.

One study ranked the best and worst cities to live in. Dhaka came in fourth from last. The New York Times called it “the world’s most broken city."

Dhaka is part of a worldwide trend. People are leaving the countryside. They’re moving to cities. More than half the world’s population now lives in cities. The fastest-growing cities are in poorer countries, like Bangladesh.

Many of these cities struggle to support their new residents. Dhaka does too. There are many homeless people. Smoke from factories clouds the air. Sewers clog when it rains, and water floods the city. And the traffic in Dhaka may be the worst in the world.

One study ranked the best and worst cities to live in. Dhaka came in fourth from last. The New York Times called it “the world’s most broken city.”

Dhaka is part of a worldwide trend: Millions of people are relocating from the countryside to cities. More than half the world’s population now lives in cities. The fastest-growing cities are in poorer countries, like Bangladesh.

Like many of these cities, Dhaka struggles to accommodate its new residents. There isn’t enough housing, so homelessness is common. Smoke from factories clouds the air. Sewers clog when it rains, and water floods the city. And the traffic in Dhaka may be the worst in the world.

In a study that ranked the best and worst cities to live in, Dhaka came in fourth from last. The New York Times called Dhaka “the world’s most broken city.”

Why Move There?

If Dhaka is broken, why do so many people want to live there? The answer is simple. They want jobs. Bangladesh may be poor, but it is developing fast. New factories produce clothing, chemicals, electronic devices, and more. Many of them are located in Dhaka.

In Bangladesh, it’s hard to make a living in the countryside. Flooding often destroys rice and other crops. Every year, thousands of farmers move to the city looking for work.

What they find isn’t all bad. Cities bring people from different backgrounds together. They also provide many things to do. Dhaka has movie theaters, restaurants, and shopping malls. Young people can get an education there. There are more than 50 universities in Dhaka.

Life in a big city like Dhaka isn’t easy. You can waste a lot of time stuck in traffic. But around the world, people are deciding that it’s worth the trouble. Experts say that in 30 years, more than two out of three people will live in cities.

Hopefully they won’t all own cars.

If Dhaka is broken, why do so many people move there? They want jobs. Bangladesh is developing fast. There are many new factories. They make clothing, chemicals, and electronics. Most of them are in Dhaka.

In Bangladesh, it’s hard to make a living in the countryside. Flooding destroys crops. Many farmers move to the city to find work.

What they find isn’t all bad. They can meet new people. And there’s a lot to do. Dhaka has movie theaters. It has restaurants. It has shopping malls. And it has many universities.

Life in a big city can be hard. You can waste a lot of time in traffic. But many people seem to think it’s worth the trouble. Experts say that in 30 years, more than two out of three people will live in cities.

Let’s hope they won’t all own cars.

If Dhaka is broken, why do so many people want to live there? The explanation is simple: These people need jobs. Bangladesh may be poor, but it’s developing rapidly. New factories produce clothing, chemicals, electronic devices, and more. Most of these factories are located in Dhaka.

In Bangladesh, it’s difficult to earn a living in the countryside because flooding often destroys rice and other crops. Every year, thousands of farmers move to the city looking for work.

What they find isn’t entirely bad. Cities bring people from different backgrounds together. They also provide many things to do: Dhaka has movie theaters, restaurants, and shopping malls. With more than 50 universities located in Dhaka, young people can get an education too.

Life in a large city like Dhaka certainly comes with considerable disadvantages, such as the time wasted while stuck in traffic—but around the world, people are deciding that the benefits of city life outweigh the inconveniences. Experts predict that in 30 years, more than 66 percent of the world’s population will live in cities.

Hopefully they won’t all own cars.