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The busiest place you've never seen

NPR | By Julia Gunther,

Nick Schönfeld, Connie Hanzhang Jin, Sanidhya Sharma

Published April 4, 2026 at 5:00 AM CDT

Home to just 221 people, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the only settlement on Tristan da Cunha, the world's most remote inhabited island.

Photographer Julia Gunther and writer-filmmaker Nick Schönfeld have made multiple trips to Tristan da Cunha since 2023 to chronicle the rhythms of daily life. During their time there, NPR published their story "The Okalolies of Old Year's Night," which looked at the island's unique New Year's Eve tradition. They returned in 2025 to continue their work and help lead the expansion of the island's community archive.

View the full project: apps.npr.org/life-on-tristan-da-cunha