Gough Island

Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean was originally known as Gonçalo Álvares (named after the captain of Vasco da Gama’s flagship). The volcanic island is uninhabited except for the handful of personnel stationed here to operate a South African weather station, making it one of the most remote places with a constant human presence. Gough Island and Inaccessible Island comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gough and Inaccessible Islands as they are protected wildlife reserves and an “Important Bird Area”. Gough Island is home to Tristan Albatrosses, Atlantic Petrels, Gough Moorhens, Gough Buntings, and Northern Rockhopper Penguins; just some of the many birds using this mid-Atlantic island as their nesting ground. Gough is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.