What is the most remote inhabited island in the world?

Tristan da Cunha is the most remote inhabited island in the world.

This volcanic island lies in the South Atlantic Ocean, roughly 2,400 kilometres from Saint Helena and about 2,800 kilometres from South Africa. It forms part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and its small settlement is called Edinburgh of the Seven Seas.

The island has no airport, so residents and visitors generally arrive by ship from Cape Town—a journey that takes about six days. Its isolation affects everything from medical care to mail delivery, although satellite communications and scheduled supply voyages connect it to the wider world.

Tristan da Cunha was named after Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha, who sighted the islands in 1506. A volcanic eruption in 1961 forced the entire population to evacuate, but most islanders later returned. Pitcairn and Easter Island are also famously isolated, but Tristan da Cunha is the standard answer when the question asks for the world’s most remote inhabited island.