Broadcast media [time series]

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

Communications - note [time series]

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

Internet country code [time series]

.pn

Internet users [time series]

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

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: satellite-based phone services; rural connectivity a challenge (2018) | domestic: local phone service with international connections via Internet (2018) | international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1 (Inmarsat)

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: 746,000 (FY04/05) | 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 - | 1.416 (2017 est.) | 1.4279 (2016 est.) | 1.4279 (2015) | 1.4279 (2014 est.) | 1.2039 (2013 est.)

Exports [time series]

NA

Exports - commodities [time series]

honey, fruits, vegetables, curios, postage 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

Industries [time series]

postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey

Labor force [time series]

15 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

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

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]

(31 December 2009 est.)

Area [time series]

total: 47 sq km | 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 [time series]

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m | highest point: Palwala Valley Point on 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]

0 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

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

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: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Population distribution [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

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

Citizenship [time series]

see United Kingdom

Constitution [time series]

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

Country name [time series]

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 [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 Laura CLARK (since 25 January 2018) | 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 (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 flowering twig of miro (a local plant)

Government type [time series]

parliamentary democracy

Independence [time series]

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation [time series]

SPC, UPU

Judicial branch [time series]

highest courts: 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 [time series]

local island by-laws

Legislative branch [time series]

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 in November 2017 (next to be held not later than December 2019) | election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 5 independent; composition - men 5, women 5, percent of women 50%

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 UK, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)

National holiday [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

none

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal with three years residency

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 - note [time series]

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Ethnic groups [time series]

other 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 (2018) | 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 (2017 est.) | male: NA | female: NA

Nationality [time series]

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

Population [time series]

54 (July 2016 est.)

Population distribution [time series]

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

Population growth rate [time series]

0% (2014 est.)

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 (2012) | rate of urbanization: NA

Disputes - international [time series]

none

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

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

Roadways [time series]

total: 0 km