Gough Island

Gough Island lies some four hundred kilometres southeast of Tristan, uninhabited apart from a South African meteorological station, and it carries one of the largest and least disturbed seabird assemblies anywhere: the entire world population of the Tristan albatross and the Gough bunting breed there, along with millions of burrowing petrels. Introduced house mice have been preying on chicks, and an eradication attempt was made in 2021.

Background

Gough Island is a rugged volcanic island of 65 square kilometres, 13 km long and 5 km wide, rising to 910 m. It lies 2,700 km west of Cape Town and 2,400 km north-east of South Georgia Island. The Portuguese explorer Gonçalo Álvares most likely found it in July 1505, and maps carried his name for the island for the next three centuries. Captain Charles Gough of the Richmond sighted it on 3 March 1732, believing it was a new find, and his name was the one later adopted. Sealers called between 1804 and 1910. The first scientific party came on the Scotia on 21 April 1904. A weather station, usually with six people, has run there since 1956.

Source: Wikipedia, "Gough Island"

The landscape

• The Tristan albatross - the world population breeding almost entirely on this island.
• The Gough bunting - a land bird found nowhere else.
• The petrel burrows - millions of birds nesting in the ground.
• The weather station - the only human presence on the island.

When to go

Not applicable; the island is closed to visitors. The weather station operates year round. Research access requires permits.

Before you go

There is no public access whatsoever; only station staff and permitted researchers land. Introduced mice have caused severe chick mortality and the 2021 eradication did not fully succeed. The island appears here as a place rather than a destination.

Nearby

Tristan da Cunha is northwest, and Inaccessible Island is beyond it.

Key facts