ARCHIVE // PN // 2012

Pitcairn Islands

2012 Edition — territory

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Communications
Internet country code [time series]
.pn
Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]
26 (2012) country comparison to the world: 218
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
general assessment: satellite phone services domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB) international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1 (Inmarsat)
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens; fish
Budget [time series]
revenues: $746,000 expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05)
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
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 [time series]
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.289 (2012) 1.263 (2011) 1.3874 (2010) 1.6002 (2009) 1.4151 (2008)
Exports [time series]
$NA
Exports - commodities [time series]
fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps
Fiscal year [time series]
1 April - 31 March
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
$NA
Imports [time series]
$NA
Imports - commodities [time series]
fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs
Labor force [time series]
15 (2004) (2004) country comparison to the world: 232
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
note: no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 47 sq km country comparison to the world: 234 land: 47 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
about three tenths the size of Washington, DC
Climate [time series]
tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Coastline [time series]
51 km
Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Big Ridge 347 m
Environment - current issues [time series]
deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Geographic coordinates [time series]
25 04 S, 130 06 W
Geography - note [time series]
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 [time series]
NA
Land boundaries [time series]
0 km
Land use [time series]
arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA
Location [time series]
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
Map references [time series]
Oceania
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
typhoons (especially November to March)
Natural resources [time series]
miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Terrain [time series]
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Capital [time series]
name: Adamstown geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Constitution [time series]
The Pitcairn Constitution Order 2010, effective 4 March 2010
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands
Dependency status [time series]
overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Executive branch [time series]
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 Victoria M. TREADELL (since May 2010); 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 Mike WARREN (since 1 January 2008) cabinet: NA (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held in December 2010 (next to be held in December 2013) election results: Mike WARREN reelected mayor and chairman of the Island Council
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
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 [time series]
NA
Independence [time series]
none (overseas territory of the UK)
International organization participation [time series]
SPC, UPU
Judicial branch [time series]
Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judicial officers are appointed by the governor
Legal system [time series]
local island by-laws
Legislative branch [time series]
unicameral Island Council (11 seats; mayor, deputy mayor, 4 members elected by popular vote, 1 member appointed by the governor, 3 ex officio members including governor, deputy governor, and commissioner; deputy mayor and elected members serve two-year terms) elections: last held on 24 December 2009 (next to be held on 24 December 2011) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 4 independents
National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]
name: "We From Pitcairn Island" lyrics/music: unknown/Frederick M. LEHMAN note: serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)
National holiday [time series]
Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
none
Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]
none
Suffrage [time series]
18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Introduction
Background [time series]
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
Military - note [time series]
defense is the responsibility of the UK
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2012 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
-9 births/1,000 population NA country comparison to the world: 227
Death rate [time series]
-9 deaths/1,000 population NA country comparison to the world: 229
Ethnic groups [time series]
descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]
NA
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: NA male: NA female: NA
Languages [time series]
English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy [time series]
NA
Nationality [time series]
noun: Pitcairn Islander(s) adjective: Pitcairn Islander
Net migration rate [time series]
NA
Population [time series]
48 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 239
Population growth rate [time series]
0% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 190
Religions [time series]
Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Sex ratio [time series]
NA
Total fertility rate [time series]
NA
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 0% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
none
Transportation
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)