The Most Polluted Island that you have never heard about: Henderson Island

Henderson Island is a very remote island in the middle of the South Pacific, yet, even without a human population or nearby land. It is the worlds most polluted island at time of writing. We're going to delve into the history of it.

______________________
Support The Channel:

♥Patreon ► https://www.patreon.com/Tipsyfishs

♥PayPal ► https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/TipsyF

Facebook ►: https://www.facebook.com/TipsyHistory

Have a topic you want to suggest? Say so in the comments below. Subscribe if you enjoyed the video as well, would be super appreciated
Henderson Island was first settled by the Polynesians in the 9th century, though by the time of European arrival in the 17th century, the island had been fully abandoned. While the reason isn't fully known as to the reason for the abandonment, it is expected that the 11th century civil war on Mangareva, prevented regular supplies to the outlaying Polynesian colonies, and they left due to the need for survival. The first European to spot the island would be Portuguese captain Pedro Fernandes de Queirós in 1606, who was on an expedition to find the fabled southern land of... Australia. Ya know, standards for fabled lands really went downhill fast, first it was Atlantis, then it was the Fountain of Youth, and now.. Australia.

It would be another 200 years before Europeans took note of the island again, when Englishmen Captain Henry King landed on March the 18th of 1819. Henry King would name the island Henderson after his ship, and planted the kings colors.

Historical fun fact time! On November the 20th of 1820, a sperm whale sank the American whaling ship Essex off the coast of the island, stranding 20 men on Henderson, due to limited supplies, 17 of the 20 men went off in small whaling boats to South America, leaving behind Thomas Chappel, Seth Weeks and William Wright to survive on the island until their eventual rescue in April the following year. The tale of the Essex sinking and the survival of these three men, inspired Novelist Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick.

Now, after the three survivors left in 1821, no one would return to Henderson island until 1902, when Captain G. F. Jones came cross the island and went “hey, this is British now”, formally annexing the island into the British empire, with it joining the other three islands of Pitcairn, Ducie, and Oeno to form the British Pitcairn island colony.

A few Americans would attempt to use the island either as a publicity stunt or try to build a mansion on the island, but ultimately, the local ecosystem has been largely untouched by human hands. Well.. That is except for this.

Henderson Island holds the title for the most polluted island on earth, and it's shocking to think about considering that it hasn't had an established human presence for hundreds of years. Yet, plastic will always find a way. The island is located right within the South Pacific Gyre pattern of ocean currents on earth. Even though Henderson was designated as a UNESCO site in 1988, It's estimated that roughly 18 tonnes worth of debris is on the island, with hundreds of items washing ashore every single day. The UK government did sent an expedition in 2019 to clean up the island as much as they could, but weather conditions only allowed 6 tonnes to be removed at the time, with future expeditions being delayed due to COVID. It came into the news recently, when researchers on HMS Spey discovered that the island had been incorrectly marked for the last 85 years, being a mile off from original charts.

Regardless, Henderson Island shows that even an area that doesn't have a permanent population, is affected by our actions, and why it is important to realize that your actions have an impact.

Видео The Most Polluted Island that you have never heard about: Henderson Island канала AnnalsOfHistory