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  Pitcairn Islands  
Flag of Pitcairn Islands
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  Introduction
  Geography
  People
  Government
  Economy
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  Transportation
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In general, information available as of 1 January 2002
was used in the preparation of The World Factbook 2002.


This page was last updated on 19 March 2003


Map of Pitcairn Islands

Legend: Definition Definition Field Listing Field Listing
   Introduction    Pitcairn Islands
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
25 04 S, 130 06 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Oceania
Area:
Definition Field Listing
total: 47 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 47 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
0 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
51 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical, hot, humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish
note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
other: NA% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
typhoons (especially November to March)
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
47 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA%
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
-1.32% (2002 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA births/1,000 population
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing
total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA children born/woman
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Pitcairn Islander(s)
adjective: Pitcairn Islander
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
NA
   Government    Pitcairn Islands
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands
Dependency status:
Definition Field Listing
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Adamstown
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
local island by-laws
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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: last held NA December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2002)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Island Court (island magistrate presides over the court and is elected every three years)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
none
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing
purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing
12 able-bodied men (1997)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $729,884
expenditures: $878,119, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95 est.)
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
postage stamps, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing
NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered generator
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing
NA kWh
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
wide variety of fruits and vegetables, goats, chickens
Exports:
Definition Field Listing
$NA
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Imports:
Definition Field Listing
$NA
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$NA
Currency:
Definition Field Listing
New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code:
Definition Field Listing
NZD
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
1 April - 31 March
   Communications    Pitcairn Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing
1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line) (1997)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
0 (1997)
Televisions:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.pn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
Definition Field Listing
NA
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing
NA
   Transportation    Pitcairn Islands
Railways:
Definition Field Listing
0 km
Highways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 6.4 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 6.4 km
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing
none
Ports and harbors:
Definition Field Listing
Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing
none (2002 est.)
Airports:
Definition Field Listing
none (2001)
   Military    Pitcairn Islands
Military - note:
Definition Field Listing
defense is the responsibility of the UK
   Transnational Issues    Pitcairn Islands
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
none

This page was last updated on 19 March 2003


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