Looking over the rugged mountain peaks, lush green countryside and windswept surf that laps the shores of remote South Atlantic isle Tristan da Cunha, it’s easy to see why sailors shipwrecked there in the 1800s never wanted to leave. But then, leaving is no easy feat: at a staggering 1,501 miles from its nearest neighbor, St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha is the most remote permanent settlement on earth. And while its population has grown — today, nearly 300 souls call Tristan home — the ease in getting to and from the tiny island nation hasn’t.

“To get here, you would have to get a flight to Cape Town and reserve a berth on either the fishing ship or the research vessel that comes once a year,” says Ian Lavarello, chief islander. “The trip takes between six or seven days and that’s also weather-dependent. In the winter months it could take nine, ten days to get to the island from Cape Town.”

(MORE: Breathtaking Cliffs of the World)

So why, in a time of unprecedented connectivity, do the modern denizens of Tristan choose to remain in such a disconnected place? The simple answer is that for the citizens of the British overseas territory, Tristan has been home for generations.

The four islands that make up the tiny nation – Tristan, Inaccessible, Gough and Nightingale – were discovered and named by Portuguese admiral Admiral Tristao da Cunha in 1506. No one attempted to colonize the rocky outcrop until more than 300 years later, when Napoleon was exiled to nearby St. Helena. Realizing the island’s strategic position, the British military quickly took possession of Tristan in 1816. A young Scottish Corporal and his family were stationed on the island and several other men of various nationalities landed there by happenstance.

As the story goes, when Tristan found itself with five lonely bachelors by 1827, the islanders commissioned a regular visitor of Tristan to bring back five suitable women from St. Helena. By 1832, the population had grown to 34, with six happy couples and 22 children.

These days, if you do make it to Tristan’s only town, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, you’ll find a community that is somewhat of a throw-back to a simpler time, one not unlike small-town America just a few decades ago. Edinburgh, known colloquially as “The Settlement” and located on the northwest tip of the main island, is the hub of community life.

The colorful cluster of houses and shops nestled at the base of dormant volcano Queen Mary’s Peak includes a supermarket, small pub and café, meeting hall, post office, tourism center, museum, two churches and a schoolhouse that children attend from 3 to 16. Beyond the Settlement? Towering 2,600-foot cliffs and miles of unspoiled wilderness.

The residents of Tristan certainly don’t take their little island paradise for granted.

“Just to walk out your door you always see the sea and the mountains, sheep grazing,” says Lavarello. “The scenery is really fantastic.”

Of course, there are some modern-day conveniences that aren’t easy to come by on the world’s most isolated island: The settlement has limited TV and Internet access and going on a vacation can prove a bit of a trek. The one supermarket is stocked sporadically by a supply ship, which means that if a favorite item has run out, patience is a virtue.

But while isolation can prove difficult, there are some pretty stellar perks to living so far from the rest of civilization as well, starting with the islands’ unique flora and fauna. In 2004, Tristan’s Inaccessible island (named for the fringe of sheer cliffs that make it nearly impossible to dock at), along with Gough island, became a World Heritage Site for their importance as a wildlife refuge.

Penguins return to the island each October to lay eggs in one of the many rookeries on Tristan's beaches and there are several native bird species, like theThe Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, which only breed on Tristan.

When it comes to Tristan’s human inhabitants, the population is a little less diverse. But though many of us might dread the idea of seeing the same people day-in and day-out, familiar faces are welcomed in Tristan.

“It’s a very close-knit community. Family, even friends, they’re always helping one another,” says Lavarello, “You can go to work in the morning and when you get back a family member or friends will pop in to drop off some bread or eggs or whatever. Its very different compared to anywhere else in the world.”

In a time when "sustainability: has become such a buzzword, Tristan could give the rest of the world an example of what that truly means. A voluntary agreement signed by settlers in 1817 included provisions that equally divided the land, profits and governance of the island – which means Tristan is owned by its inhabitants. And they work hard to live up to the demands of that luxury.

“There is so much to do. You’re always busy,” says Lavarello, “The basic day-to-day life is laid back but you certainly wouldn’t get bored.”

Aside from working regular salaried jobs, each family on the island maintains a garden plot, tends livestock and are expected to help out with building on the island and other endeavors that are beneficial to the community. Much of the food supply is grown or fished, and islanders tend to share their bounty.

(MORE: 10 Islands off the Beaten Path)

“A lot of the islanders own their own chickens, cows and ducks, so you always have fresh meat, fresh eggs of a morning, fresh milk,” says Lavarello. “We also do a lot of our own fishing from small bait for various species of white fish and pink fish as well as from lobster.”

While much of what the islanders grow and fish is used at home, they also export lobster and crawfish as far as the United States and Japan, using the profits to fund the government. In addition to the fishing industry revenue, the island generates smaller streams of income from tourists (those adventurers who manage to get there) and from selling collectible postage stamps and coins.

When it comes to matters of running a tiny country, Tristan’s government is just as organized as any. As a British Overseas Territory, the executive power belongs to the Queen of England, who is represented by a governor in nearby British territory St. Helena. An administrator (currently Mr. Lavarello) represents the governor on Tristan and heads an eight-person island council of both elected and appointed officials.

So what sorts of issues come up on a small island where everyone knows everyone? At present, the council is reviewing a longstanding policy that doesn’t allow outsiders to buy land or settle on Tristan. If a change is made, it will be good news for anyone who has ever fantasized about life on a (near) deserted island.

“We are reviewing our immigration law now,” says Lavarello, “So it could be a possibility that if someone wanted to come and reside here on the island who doesn’t have close links, I think in the future it might be possible.”

Another big function of Tristan’s administration is keeping tabs on the island’s most unpredictable resident: Mother Nature. The climate on the island is relatively mild and cool with highs typically in the 50s and 60s, but rainy weather is near a constant and can make fishing expeditions a bit of a challenge. Being directly on top of an active volcano is also a danger. In 1961, a devastating eruption nearly leveled the Settlement, forcing the islanders to flee to the U.K. They returned and rebuilt two years later, but a massive hurricane once again devastated the island’s infrastructure in 2001.

These days, Lavarello works closely with the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor the island’s seismic activity to get ahead of any future calamity. Though the U.K. does provide assistance in the face of disaster, the lack of an airport means that any help that islanders need may take awhile to get there, so when disaster strikes, the islanders are pretty much on their own.

The dangers imposed by the natural world haven’t stopped the small, brave population from staying on their tiny island paradise. Instead, like expert fisherman, they’ve simply accepted the fact that this is a place where nature makes the decisions.

“The weather plays a lot of part of our jobs because you have to work around it,” says Lavarello. “We sometimes say we have four seasons in one day here. It can go from rainy to cold and windy to sunny again, so you have to plan.”

To learn more about Tristan da Cunha, visit www.tristandc.com.