Pitcairn Online Business Education. Administration. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Pitcairn
Online Business Education. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Pitcairn

Country Profile

Capital City: Adamstown

Local Time: UTC -8h

Geography:
Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of French Polynesia.
Area: total 47 sq. km.
Terrain: Rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs.

Climate: Tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; dry season (May to October), rainy season (November to March)

Government:
Overseas territory of the UK
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II
Constitution: 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964.

People:
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Pitcairn Islander(s) Population: 46 (July 2004 est.)
Ethnic Groups: Descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.
Religions: Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Languages: English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Business

Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Natural resources: miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish, honey

Internet Links

Official Sites of Pitcairn

Pitcairn Island Government

UK Government
Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)

UK Embassies Overseas

Map
Map of Pitcairn

Map of Oceania and the Pacific Islands

Introduction

Pitcairn Islands

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.

Geography Pitcairn Islands

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

Geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 06 W

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 47 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 47 sq km

Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 51 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM

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

Terrain: rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m

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

Land use: arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: typhoons (especially November to March)

Environment - current issues: deforestation (only a small portion of the
original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)

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

People Pitcairn Islands

Population: 47 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA%

Population growth rate: -1.32% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population

Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Sex ratio: NA

Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA years male: NA years
female: NA years

Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

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

Ethnic groups: descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian
wives

Religions: Seventh-Day Adventist 100%

Languages: English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18th century
English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Literacy: NA

Government Pitcairn Islands

Country name: conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie,
and Oeno Islands conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands

Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK

Government type: NA

Capital: Adamstown

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June
(1926)

Constitution: 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940;
further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964

Legal system: local island by-laws

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal with three years residency

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 Martin WILLIAMS (since NA May
1998); Commissioner (nonresident) Leon SALT (since NA); serves as liaison
between the governor and the Island Council election results: elected
mayor; percent of vote - NA% elections: the monarchy is hereditary;
high commissioner and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island
magistrate elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election
last held NA December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2002) head of
government: Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Steve CHRISTIAN
(since NA) cabinet: NA

Legislative branch: unicameral Island Council (10 seats - 6 elected
by popular vote, 1 appointed by the 6 elected members, 2 appointed
by the governor, and 1 seat for the Island Secretary; members serve
one-year terms) elections: results: percent of vote - NA%; seats -
all independents

Judicial branch: Island Court (island magistrate presides over the
court and is elected every three years)

Political parties and leaders: none

Political pressure groups and leaders: none

International organization participation: SPC

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)

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 coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with
a shield featuring a yellow anchor

Economy Pitcairn Islands

Economy - overview: The inhabitants of this tiny 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.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $NA

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $NA

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: 12 able-bodied men (1997)

Labor force - by occupation: no business community in the usual sense;
some public works; subsistence farming and fishing

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $729,884 expenditures: $878,119, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY94/95 est.)

Industries: postage stamps, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by
a small diesel-powered generator

Electricity - consumption: NA kWh

Agriculture - products: wide variety of fruits and vegetables, goats,
chickens

Exports: $NA

Exports - commodities: fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps

Exports - partners: NA

Imports: $NA

Imports - commodities: fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour,
sugar, other foodstuffs

Imports - partners: NA

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid - recipient: $NA

Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code: NZD

Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.3535 (January
2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5083
(1997)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Communications Pitcairn Islands

Telephones - main lines in use: 1 (there are 17 telephones on one party
line) (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: only party line telephone service
is available for this small, closely related community domestic: party
line service only international: radiotelephone

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)

Televisions: NA

Internet country code: .pn

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA

Internet users: NA

Transportation Pitcairn Islands

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 6.4 km paved: 0 km unpaved: 6.4 km

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Airports: none (2001)

Military Pitcairn Islands

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Pitcairn Islands

Disputes - international: none

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002