Nightingale Island

Nightingale Island is an active volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, 3 km² in area, part of the Tristan da Cunha group of islands. They are administered by the United Kingdom as part of the overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Nightingale Island is part of the Nightingale Islands, which also includes islets Middle Island and Stoltenhoff Island. All three are uninhabited, but are regularly visited for scientific purposes and research. Nightingale has two peaks on its north end. One is 337 metres (1,106 ft) high while the other is 293 metres (961 ft) high. The rest of the island is ringed by cliffs. However, these cliffs are not nearly as high as those surrounding Nightingale's neighbour Inaccessible Island, which is approximately 16 km away and has cliffs approximately 300m high. Thus human access is much easier on Nightingale than on Inaccessible. The island is a volcano, composed of early and late stage ash deposits. Massive Trachytic lava flows have been extruded in the past. Prior to 2004, the last eruption may have been over 39,000 years ago. Caves in Nightingale Island seem to indicate elevation. The two nearby islets are called Stoltenhoff (99 m) and Middle (46 m).  Large amounts of kelp surround the island, which makes it difficult to anchor ships in bad weather.