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Communications

Broadcast media [time series]

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

Internet country code [time series]

.pn

Internet users [time series]

percent of population: 96.2% (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

No traditional public cellular network. Satellite-based internet (Starlink) and VoIP apps (WhatsApp, Viber) are available.

Economy

Agricultural products [time series]

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

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 - 1.652 (2024 est.) 1.628 (2023 est.) 1.577 (2022 est.) 1.414 (2021 est.) 1.542 (2020 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

fertilizers, sulfur, refined petroleum, excavation machinery, ethylene polymers (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners [time series]

UK 21%, Canada 19%, Tanzania 12%, Colombia 11%, Spain 8% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

Imports - commodities [time series]

construction vehicles, refined petroleum, beef, computers, other foods (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners [time series]

USA 59%, NZ 37%, Italy 2%, UAE 1%, Brazil 1% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industries [time series]

postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey

Environment

Climate [time series]

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

Environmental 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% (2022 est.) forest: 74.5% (2022 est.) other: 25.5% (2022 est.)

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, D.C.

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 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% (2022 est.) forest: 74.5% (2022 est.) other: 25.5% (2022 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]

a handful of inhabitants, most residing near the village of Adamstown

Terrain [time series]

rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

Government

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 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 English 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 Shawn CHRISTIAN (since 5 November 2025) cabinet: none election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor directly elected by majority popular vote for a 3-year term most recent election date: 5 November 2025 election results: Shawn CHRISTIAN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council expected date of next election: November 2028

Flag [time series]

description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the right half of the flag; the green field features a yellow anchor with a Bible over it (both were on the HMS Bounty ); a Pitcairn Island wheelbarrow is on the crest, with a flowering twig of miro (a local plant) meaning: the green, yellow, and blue of the shield represents the island rising from the ocean

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) judge selection and term of office: all judges of both courts appointed by the governor of the Pitcairn Islands on the instructions of the British monarch through the Secretary of State; all judges can serve until retirement, normally at age 75 subordinate courts: Magistrate's Court note: appeals beyond the Pitcairn Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

Legal system [time series]

local island by-laws

Legislative branch [time series]

legislature name: Island Council legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 10 (directly elected and appointed) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 2 years note: the councilors 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 most recent election date: 6 November 2019 parties elected and seats per party: independent (5) percentage of women in chamber: 60% expected date of next election: N/A note: the Council includes 5 councilors, the mayor, and the deputy mayor (who are 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

National anthem(s) [time series]

title: "We From Pitcairn Island" lyrics/music: unknown/Frederick M. LEHMAN history: serves as a local anthem _____ title: "God Save the King" lyrics/music: unknown history: official anthem, as a UK overseas territory

National holiday [time series]

Official birthday of King Charles III, usually celebrated the second Saturday in June (1948); Discovery Day (Pitcairn Day), 2 July (1767)

Political parties [time series]

none

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal with three years of residency

Introduction

Background [time series]

Polynesians were the first settlers on the four tiny islands that are now called the Pitcairn Islands, but all four were uninhabited by the time Europeans discovered them in 1606. Pitcairn Island -- the only one now inhabited -- was rediscovered by a British explorer in 1767. 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, when only one man, 10 women, and 23 children remained. In 1831, with the population of 87 proving too big for the island, 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 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 uninhabited islands of Henderson, Oeno, and Ducie in 1902 and incorporated them into the Pitcairn Islands colony in 1938. The population peaked at 233 in 1937 as outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has since thinned the population. Only two children were born between 1986 and 2012, and in 2005, a couple became the first outsiders to obtain citizenship in more than a century. 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

Ethnic groups [time series]

descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives

Languages [time series]

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

Nationality [time series]

noun: Pitcairn Islander(s) adjective: Pitcairn Islander

Population [time series]

total: 50 (2025 est.)

Population distribution [time series]

a handful of inhabitants, most residing near the village of Adamstown

Population growth rate [time series]

0% (2014 est.)

Religions [time series]

Seventh Day Adventist 100%