Inaccessible Islands

The Inaccessible Islands are a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Inaccessible Island, Stoltenhoff Island, Middle Island and Nightingale Island. It used to be part of the Saint Helena dependencies, until they gained a higher status in 1961, when Haroldstown became the provisional capital of Tristan da Cunha after Queen Mary's Peak's volcanic eruption.

History
Of volcanic origin, the islands of Nightingale and Inaccessible Island were formerly only one colony of the English crown, though separately discovered by several Portuguese and Dutch explorers between 1506 and 1656.

Portuguese Discovery of Nightingale Island
Nightingale was possibly sighted along with Tristan da Cunha in 1506 by Tristão da Cunha, though he made no record of it.

Dutch Arrival
Inaccessible Island was discovered in January 1656 during a voyage by ’t Nachtglas ("the night glass"), a Dutch ship under the command of Jan Jacobszoon, 150 years after Nightingale Island was first sighted by Portuguese sailors.

Nightingale was originally named "Gebrooken Eyland" (Broken Island) by the 't Nachtglas under in late January 1656, who found no safe anchorage; the first landing was not made until 1696 (most likely by Willem de Vlamingh in August of that year).

In the following years, with the arrival of the 't Nachtglas, the Dutch claimed the two islands, with the exception of Tristan da Cunha, which was set to remain Terra Nulius. After failed attempts of setting a permanent population on the islands, the Dutch finally founded Casimirstad, in Nightingale Island, which was populated with slaves from Aruba and Curaçao, brought to the island to help with the loading of big ships.