2023 Edition

Background

Polynesians were the first inhabitants of the Pitcairn Islands, but the islands were uninhabited by the time they were discovered by Europeans in 1606. Pitcairn Island was rediscovered by British explorer Philip CARTERET in 1767, although he incorrectly plotted the coordinates. In 1789, Fletcher CHRISTIAN led a mutiny on the HMS Bounty and after several months of searching for Pitcairn Island, he landed on it with eight other mutineers and their Tahitian companions. They lived in isolation and evaded detection by English authorities until 1808, by which point only one man, 10 women, and 23 children remained. In 1831, with the population growing too big for the island - there were 87 people - the British attempted to move all the islanders to Tahiti, but they were soon returned to Pitcairn Island. The island became an official British colony in 1838 and in 1856, the British again determined that the population of 193 was too high and relocated all of the residents to Norfolk Island. Several families returned in 1858 and 1864, bringing the island’s population to 43, and almost all of the island’s current population are descendants of these returnees. The UK annexed the nearby islands of Henderson, Oeno, and Ducie in 1902 and incorporated them into the Pitcairn Islands colony in 1938, although all three are uninhabited. The population peaked at 233 in 1937 as outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population. Only two children were born between 1986 and 2012, and in 2005, a couple became the first new outsiders to obtain citizenship in more than a century. (The current population is below 50.) Since 2013, the Pitcairn Islands has tried to attract new migrants but has had no applicants because it requires prospective migrants to front significant sums of money and prohibits employment during a two-year trial period, at which point the local council can deny long-term resident status.

Area

land

47 sq km

total

47 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about three-tenths the size of Washington, DC

Climate

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

Coastline

51 km

Elevation

highest point

Palwala Valley Point on Big Ridge 347 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

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

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

0% (2011 est.)

forest

74.5% (2018 est.)

other

25.5% (2018 est.)

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

12 nm

Natural hazards

occasional tropical cyclones (especially November to March), but generally only heavy tropical storms; landslides

Natural resources

miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish; note - manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore

Population distribution

less than 50 inhabitants on Pitcairn Island, most reside near the village of Adamstown

Terrain

rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

Age structure

0-14 years

NA

15-64 years

NA

65 years and over

NA

Birth rate

NA

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current health expenditure

NA

Death rate

NA

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

NA

potential support ratio

NA

total dependency ratio

NA

youth dependency ratio

NA

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: NA

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: NA

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives

Infant mortality rate

female

NA

male

NA

total

NA

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Literacy

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Nationality

adjective

Pitcairn Islander

noun

Pitcairn Islander(s)

Physicians density

NA

Population

50 (2021 est.)

Population distribution

less than 50 inhabitants on Pitcairn Island, most reside near the village of Adamstown

Population growth rate

0% (2014 est.)

Religions

Seventh Day Adventist 100%

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: NA

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: NA

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

Sex ratio

NA

Total fertility rate

NA

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

NA

Administrative divisions

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Capital

etymology

named after John ADAMS (1767–1829), the last survivor of the Bounty mutineers who settled on Pitcairn Island in January 1790

geographic coordinates

25 04 S, 130 05 W

name

Adamstown

time difference

UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Constitution

history

several previous; latest drafted 10 February 2010, presented 17 February 2010, effective 4 March 2010

Country name

conventional long form

Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands

conventional short form

Pitcairn Islands

etymology

named after Midshipman Robert PITCAIRN who first sighted the island in 1767

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

none

chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands Iona THOMAS (since 9 August 2022)

election results

Simon YOUNG elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council; Island Council vote - NA; took office 1 January 2023

elections/appointments

the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor directly elected by majority popular vote for a 3-year term; election last held on 9 November 2022 (next to be held not later than December 2025)

head of government

Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Charlene WARREN-PEU (since 1 January 2020)

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 green, yellow, and blue of the shield represents the island rising from the ocean; the green field features a yellow anchor surmounted by a bible (both the anchor and the bible were items found on the HMS Bounty); sitting on the crest is a Pitcairn Island wheelbarrow from which springs a flowering twig of miro (a local plant)

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

SPC, UPU

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Pitcairn Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, 2 judges, and the Supreme Court chief justice, an ex-officio member); Pitcairn Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 2 judges); note - appeals beyond the Pitcairn Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office

all judges of both courts appointed by the governor of the Pitcairn Islands on the instructions of the Queen of England through the Secretary of State; all judges can serve until retirement, normally at age 75

subordinate courts

Magistrate's Court

Legal system

local island by-laws

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Island Council: 10 seats; (7 members - 5 councillors, the mayor, and the deputy mayor - elected by popular vote, and 3 ex officio non-voting members - the administrator, who serves as both the head of government and the representative of the governor of Pitcairn Islands, the governor, and the deputy governor; the councillors and the deputy mayor serve 2-year terms, the mayor serves a 3-year term, and the administrator is appointed by the governor for an indefinite term)

election results

percent of vote - NA; seats - 5 independent; composition - men 4, women 6, percent of women 60%

elections

last held on 6 November 2019 (next scheduled election - NA)

National anthem

lyrics/music

unknown/Frederick M. LEHMAN

name

"We From Pitcairn Island"

note

note: serves as a local anthem; as an overseas territory of the UK, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)

National holiday

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926); Discovery Day (Pitcairn Day), 2 July (1767)

Political parties and leaders

none

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal with three years residency

Agricultural products

honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens; fish

Budget

expenditures

$1.028 million (FY04/05)

revenues

$746,000 (FY04/05)

Economic overview

small South Pacific British island territorial economy; exports primarily postage stamps, handicraft goods, honey, and tinctures; extremely limited infrastructure; dependent upon UK and EU aid; recent border reopening post-COVID-19

Exchange rates

Currency

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

1.2039 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

1.4279 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

1.4279 (2015)

Exchange rates 2016

1.4279 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

1.416 (2017 est.)

Exports

NA

Exports - commodities

leather footwear, gas turbine parts, precious metal ores, clothing and apparel, beef (2019)

Exports - partners

South Africa 24%, Canada 20%, Germany 13%, Czechia 8%, El Salvador 5%, Spain 5% (2019)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Imports

NA

Imports - commodities

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, food preparation products, plastics, iron fasteners (2019)

Imports - partners

Ecuador 43%, New Zealand 29% (2019)

Industries

postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey

Labor force

15 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

NA

Broadcast media

satellite TV from Fiji-based Sky Pacific offering a wide range of international channels

Communications - note

satellite-based local phone service and broadband Internet connections available in all homes

Internet country code

.pn

Internet users

percent of population

96.2% (2021 est.)

total

37 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

local phone service with international connections via Internet (2018)

general assessment

satellite-based phone services; rural connectivity a challenge; 2G services widespread; demand for mobile broadband due to mobile services providing Internet source; the launch of the Kacific-1 satellite in 2019 will improve telecommunications in the region (2020)

international

country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1 Inmarsat

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Disputes - international

none identified

Climate

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

Environment - current issues

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

Land use

agricultural land

0% (2011 est.)

forest

74.5% (2018 est.)

other

25.5% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

NA