[dboreham]

Orkney is only 20 miles from the UK mainland so I'm not sure that's the reason. People there make fudge which is pretty good. Until recently (1956) it hosted a major Royal Navy base.

[senordevnyc]

Isn’t the hosting of a naval base a good example of this island being subsidized because the government wants to control the waters around it? And it being close to mainland is another reason, you don’t want another country having an island that close to you.

[onraglanroad]

No, the island is already within the territorial waters, it doesn't noticeably expand it.

[senordevnyc]

Uh, doesn't it extend it the entire size of Orkney plus another 12 nm?

[onraglanroad]

Nope, you don't need a naval base to do that. The measurement is not from the closest naval base.

[ceejayoz]

Those two aren't quite comparable; Orkney's been inhabited since before ancient Egypt. Tristan's much more recent, from when we needed stopping points everywhere for sailing ships to pick up water etc.