Pitcairn Islands

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

total: 54 | percent of population: 100% (July 2016 est.)

Telephone system

general assessment: satellite-based phone services | domestic: local phone service with international connections via Internet | international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1 (Inmarsat)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $746,000 | expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05)

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.

Exchange rates

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - | 1.4341 (2016) | 1.4279 (2015) | 1.4279 (2014 est.) | 1.2039 (2013 est.) | 1.23 (2012 est.)

Exports

$NA

Exports - commodities

honey, fruits, vegetables, curios, postage stamps

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$NA

Imports

$NA

Imports - commodities

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

Industries

postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey

Labor force

15 (2004) | country comparison to the world: 233

Labor force - by occupation

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

Area

total: 47 sq km | land: 47 sq km | water: 0 sq km | country comparison to the world: 235

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

mean elevation: NA | elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m | highest point: Palwala Valley Point on Big Ridge 347 m

Environment - current issues

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

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 (2012)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 0% | arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0% | forest: 74.5% | other: 25.5% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 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

Administrative divisions

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Capital

name: Adamstown | geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W | time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Constitution

several previous; latest drafted 10 February 2010, presented 17 February 2010, effective 4 March 2010 (2016)

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

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

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 Jonathan SINCLAIR (since August 2014); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council | head of government: Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Shawn CHRISTIAN (since 9 November 2016) | cabinet: none | 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 2016 (next to be held not later than December 2019) | election results: Shawn CHRISTIAN reelected mayor and chairman of the Island Council; Island Council vote - NA

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 slip of miro (a local plant)

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Island Council); overseas territory of the UK

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

SPC, UPU

Judicial branch

highest resident court(s): Pitcairn Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, 2 judges, and the Supreme Court chief justice (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 appointed 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; 4 members directly elected by proportional representation vote, 1 nominated by the elected Council members, 2 appointed by the governor, and 3 ex-officio members - the governor, deputy governor, and commissioner; elected members serve 1-year terms) | elections: last held on 13 November 2013 (next to be held not later than December 2015) | election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 5 independent

National anthem

name: "We From Pitcairn Island" | lyrics/music: unknown/Frederick M. LEHMAN | note: serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the UK, "God Save the Queen" 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

Political pressure groups and leaders

none

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal with three years residency

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.

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Ethnic groups

descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

total: NA | male: NA | female: NA

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: NA | male: NA | female: NA (2017 est.)

Nationality

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

Population

54 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 237

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

0% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 198

Religions

Seventh-Day Adventist 100%

Sex ratio

NA

Total fertility rate

NA

Urbanization

urban population: 0% of total population (2012) | rate of urbanization: NA

Disputes - international

none

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)