| 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
about 50 today. |
| Location: |
Oceania, islands
in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from
Peru to New Zealand |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
25 04 S, 130 06 W |
| Area: |
total:
47 sq km
land: 47 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
about 0.3 times
the size of Washington, DC |
| 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%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA% |
| 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) |
| Population: |
47 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA% |
| Population
growth rate: |
-2.08% (2001
est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
NA births/1,000
population |
| Death
rate: |
NA deaths/1,000
population |
| Net
migration rate: |
NA migrant(s)/1,000
population |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno
Islands
conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands |
| Dependency
status: |
overseas
territory of the UK |
| 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; is the liaison person between the
governor and the Island Council)
head of government: Island Magistrate and
Chairman of the Island Council Jay WARREN (since NA)
cabinet: NA
elections: the monarch is hereditary; high
commissioner and commissioner appointed by the monarch;
island magistrate elected every three years in December by
popular vote for a three-year term; last election held NA
December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2002)
election results: Lea BROWN elected island
magistrate; percent of vote - 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: take place each December; last held
NA December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2001)
election 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
- 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 |
| 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
- commodities: |
fruits,
vegetables, curios, stamps |
| Imports
- commodities: |
fuel oil,
machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other
foodstuffs |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA |
| Currency: |
New Zealand
dollar (NZD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
New Zealand
dollars per US dollar - 2.2502 (January 2001), 2.1863
(2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5083 (1997), 1.4543
(1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| 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) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
0 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.pn |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
NA |
| Highways: |
total:
6.4 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 6.4 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bounty Bay |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the UK |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
