2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Age structure

0-14 years: NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

wide variety of fruits and vegetables, goats, chickens

Airports

none (2002) Military Pitcairn Islands

Area

land

47 sq km

total

47 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Background

Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today. Geography Pitcairn Islands

Birth rate

NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$878,119, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 94/95 est.)

revenues

$729,884

Capital

Adamstown

Climate

tropical, hot, humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)

Coastline

51 km

Constitution

1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964

Country name

conventional long form

Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands

conventional short form

Pitcairn Islands

Currency

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code

NZD

Death rate

NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$NA

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Economic aid - recipient

$NA

Economy - overview

The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. The fertile soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams, and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The major sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to collectors and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships.

Electricity - consumption

NA kWh

Electricity - production

NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered generator

Elevation extremes

highest point

Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)

Ethnic groups

descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives

Exchange rates

New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.162 (2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5083 (1997)

Executive branch

cabinet

NA

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands Richard FELL (since NA December 2001); Commissioner (nonresident) Leon SALT (since NA); serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council

election results

Steve CHRISTIAN elected mayor; percent of vote - NA%

elections

the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island magistrate elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held NA December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2002)

head of government

Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Steve CHRISTIAN (since 7 December 1999)

Exports

$NA

Exports - commodities

fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps

Exports - partners

NA (2000)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Communications Pitcairn Islands

Flag description

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a shield featuring a yellow anchor Economy Pitcairn Islands

GDP

purchasing power parity - $NA

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $NA

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

Geographic coordinates

25 04 S, 130 06 W

Geography - note

Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore People Pitcairn Islands

Government type

NA

Highways

paved

0 km

total

6.4 km

unpaved

6.4 km

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$NA

Imports - commodities

fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs

Imports - partners

NA (2000)

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

postage stamps, handicrafts

Infant mortality rate

female

NA%

male

NA%

total

NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

International organization participation

SPC

Internet country code

.pn

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

NA

Internet users

NA Transportation Pitcairn Islands

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Judicial branch

Island Court (island magistrate presides over the court and is elected every three years)

Labor force

12 able-bodied men (1997)

Labor force - by occupation

no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

NA%

other

NA% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

NA%

Languages

English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Legal system

local island by-laws

Legislative branch

unicameral Island Council (10 seats - 6 elected by popular vote, 1 appointed by the 6 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor, and 1 seat for the Island Secretary; members serve one-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents

elections

last held NA December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2003)

Life expectancy at birth

female

NA years (2003 est.)

male

NA years

total population

NA years

Literacy

NA Government Pitcairn Islands

Location

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 NM

territorial sea

3 NM

Merchant marine

none (2002 est.)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Pitcairn Islands

National holiday

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Nationality

adjective

Pitcairn Islander

noun

Pitcairn Islander(s)

Natural hazards

typhoons (especially November to March)

Natural resources

miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish

note

manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore

Net migration rate

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Political parties and leaders

none

Political pressure groups and leaders

none

Population

47 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

NA%

Ports and harbors

Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

NA

Railways

0 km

Religions

Seventh-Day Adventist 100%

Sex ratio

NA (2003 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal with three years residency

Telephone system

domestic

party line service only

general assessment

only party line telephone service is available for this small, closely related community

international

radiotelephone

Telephones - main lines in use

1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line) (1997)

Television broadcast stations

0 (1997)

Televisions

NA

Terrain

rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

Total fertility rate

NA children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Waterways

none