ARCHIVE // PN // 2023

Pitcairn Islands

2023 Edition — territory

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Communications
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: 37 (2021 est.) percent of population: 96.2% (2021 est.)
Telecommunication systems [time series]
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) domestic: local phone service with international connections via Internet (2018) international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1 Inmarsat
Economy
Agricultural 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 [time series]
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 [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]
leather footwear, gas turbine parts, precious metal ores, clothing and apparel, beef (2019)
Exports - partners [time series]
South Africa 24%, Canada 20%, Germany 13%, Czechia 8%, El Salvador 5%, Spain 5% (2019)
Fiscal year [time series]
1 April - 31 March
Imports [time series]
NA
Imports - commodities [time series]
crude petroleum, refined petroleum, food preparation products, plastics, iron fasteners (2019)
Imports - partners [time series]
Ecuador 43%, New Zealand 29% (2019)
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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) [time series]
NA
Environment
Climate [time series]
tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Environment - current issues [time series]
deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) forest: 74.5% (2018 est.) other: 25.5% (2018 est.)
Urbanization [time series]
rate of urbanization: NA
Geography
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]
highest point: Palwala Valley Point on Big Ridge 347 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
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 (2022)
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 0 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) forest: 74.5% (2018 est.) other: 25.5% (2018 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
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) 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]
embassy: 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: 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) head of government: Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Charlene WARREN-PEU (since 1 January 2020) 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 2022 (next to be held not later than December 2025) election results: Simon YOUNG elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council; Island Council vote - NA; took office 1 January 2023
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 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 [time series]
local island by-laws
Legislative branch [time series]
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) elections: last held on 6 November 2019 (next scheduled election - NA) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 5 independent; composition - men 4, women 6, percent of women 60%
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 an overseas territory of the UK, "God Save the King" 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
Introduction
Background [time series]
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.
Military and Security
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
Birth rate [time series]
NA
Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]
NA
Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]
NA
Current health expenditure [time series]
NA
Death rate [time series]
NA
Dependency ratios [time series]
total dependency ratio: NA youth dependency ratio: NA elderly dependency ratio: NA potential support ratio: NA
Drinking water source [time series]
improved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA unimproved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
NA
Ethnic groups [time series]
descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
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]
total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Nationality [time series]
noun: Pitcairn Islander(s) adjective: Pitcairn Islander
Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]
NA
Population [time series]
50 (2021 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%
Sanitation facility access [time series]
improved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA unimproved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA
Sex ratio [time series]
NA
Total fertility rate [time series]
NA
Urbanization [time series]
rate of urbanization: NA
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
none identified
Transportation
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
major seaport(s): Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)