Pitcairn Islands

§1. Pitcairn Islands Introduction

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.

§2. Pitcairn Islands Geography

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

Geographic coordinates:
  25 04 S, 130 06 W

Map references:
  Oceania

Area:
  total: 47 kmē
  land: 47 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  51 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 3 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

Terrain:
  rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m

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

Land use:
  arable land: NA%
  permanent crops: NA%
  other: NA%

Irrigated land:
  NA

Natural hazards:
  typhoons (especially November to March)

Environment - current issues:
  deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because
  of burning and clearing for settlement)

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

§3. Pitcairn Islands People

Population:
  45 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: NA
  15-64 years: NA
  65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  -0.01% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  NA

Death rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate:
  NA

Sex ratio:
  NA

Infant mortality rate:
  total: NA
  male: NA
  female: NA

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: NA
  male: NA
  female: NA

Total fertility rate:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA

Nationality:
  noun: Pitcairn Islander(s)
  adjective: Pitcairn Islander

Ethnic groups:
  descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives

Religions:
  Seventh-Day Adventist 100%

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

Literacy:
  NA

§4. Pitcairn Islands Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
  conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands

Dependency status:
  overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
  NA

Capital:
  Adamstown

Administrative divisions:
  none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:
  none (overseas territory of the UK)

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

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

Legal system:
  local island by-laws

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal with three years residency

Executive branch:
  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) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003); serves as liaison
    between the governor and the Island Council
  head of government: Governor Richard FELL; Mayor and Chairman of the Island
    Council Jay WARREN (since 15 December 2004)
  cabinet: NA
  elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner and commissioner
    appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a
    three-year term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held
    December 2007)
  election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the Island
    Council

Legislative branch:
  unicameral Island Council (10 seats - 5 elected by popular vote, 1
  nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor including 1
  seat for the Island Secretary, the Island Mayor, and a commissioner
  liaising between the governor and council; elected members serve one-year
  terms)
  elections: last held in 24 December 2005 (next to be held December 2006)
  election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents

Judicial branch:
  Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Judicial Officers are
  appointed by the Governor

Political parties and leaders:
  none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  none

International organization participation:
  SPC, UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none (overseas territory of the UK)

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

§5. Pitcairn Islands Economy

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. In
  October 2004, more than one- quarter of Pitcairn's small labor force was
  arrested, putting the economy in a bind, since their services were required
  as lighter crew to load or unload passing ships.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $NA

Labor force:
  15 able-bodied men (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:
  no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence
  farming and fishing

Budget:
  revenues: $746,000
  expenditures: $1.028 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
    (FY04/05)

Agriculture - products:
  honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens

Industries:
  postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey

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

Exports:
  $NA

Exports - commodities:
  fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps

Imports:
  $NA

Imports - commodities:
  fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs

Economic aid - recipient:
  $3.465 million (2004)

Currency (code):
  New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Exchange rates:
  New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221
  (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. Pitcairn Islands Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: satellite phone services
  domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB)
  international: country code - 872; satellite earth station (Inmarsat)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0, note - 15 Ham radio operators (VP6) (2004)

Internet country code:
  .pn

Internet hosts:
  5 (2005)

Internet users:
  NA

§7. Pitcairn Islands Transportation

Airports:
  none (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)

§8. Pitcairn Islands Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK

§9. Pitcairn Islands Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none


<Factbook 2006>
