General information: According to simplyyellowpages, Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the rebels from the ship “Bounty” 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. Emigration, predominantly to New Zealand, has reduced the population from a high of 233 in 1937 to about 50 today.
Geography
Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific, about halfway between Peru and New Zealand.
Geographic coordinates: 25° 04′ S. latitude, 130° 06′ W
Reference map: Oceania.
Area: total: 47 km2; land surface area: 47 km2; water surface area: 0 km2 Comparative area; approximately 0.3 the area of Washington DC.
Comparative area:
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 51 km.
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 3 nautical miles.
Climate: tropical, hot, humid; moderated by southeast winds; rainy season (November to March).
Relief: volcanic origin; rocky coastline with sheer cliffs.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m; highest point: Pavala Valley Ridge 347 m
Natural resources: myro tree (used for handicrafts), fish; note: deposits of manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver and zinc have been found on the shelf.
Land use: arable land: no data; cultivated land: no data; pastures: no data; forests and plantations: no data; others: no data.
Irrigated land: no data.
Natural Hazards: typhoons (especially from November to March).
Current environmental issues: deforestation (only a small part of the original forest remained due to its use as fuel and land clearing by settlers).
International agreements on environmental protection:
Note to the section “Geography”:
Population
Population: 47 people (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: up to 14 years: no data; from 15 to 64 years: no data; over 65 years: no data.
Population growth: -2.08% (2001 est.).
Fertility: no data.
Mortality: no data.
Migration: no data.
Sex ratio:
Child mortality: no data.
Life expectancy: no data; men: no data; women: no data.
General birth rate: no data.
Proportion of the adult population infected with HIV: no data available.
Number of people infected with HIV: no data.
AIDS deaths: no data.
Nationality: noun: Pitcairn Islander; adjective: pertaining to Pitcairn Island.
Ethnic groups: Descendants of the Bounty rebels and their Tahitian wives.
Believers: Seventh-day Adventist 100%.
Language(s): English (official), Pitcairn (mixture of Tahitian and 18th century English). State Title:
Literacy:
Politics
Common long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Duci, and Oeno Islands;
Common short form: Pitcairn Islands. Dependency State: British Overseas Territory.
State structure: no data.
Capital: Adamstown.
Administrative division: none (overseas territory of Great Britain).
Independence: none (overseas territory of Great Britain).
National holiday: The Queen’s Birthday (second Saturday in June) (1926).
Constitution: 1838; revised 1904, amended 1940, improved by local government act 1964
Legal system: local ordinances.
Suffrage: from 18 years old; universal for those who lived three years on the island.
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Martin WILLIAMS, New Zealand High Commissioner and Governor (non-resident) of the Pitcairn Islands (since May 1998); commissioner (non-resident) Leon SALT (from when – unknown; liaises between the governor and the Council of the island);
head of government: island justice of the peace and chairman of the island Council Lea BROWN (for how long – no data);
government: no data; elections: hereditary monarchy; the high commissioner and commissioner are appointed by the monarch; Island Justice of the Peace is elected by popular vote for a term of 3 years; elections last held in December 1999 (next to be held in December 2002); election results: Lea BROWN elected as Island Justice of the Peace; Percentage of votes received: no data.
Legislature: unicameral Island Council (10 seats, 6 members elected by popular vote, 1 appointed by six elected members, 2 appointed by the Governor and 1 seat held by the Secretary of the Island; term of office – 1 year); elections: held every December; last held in December 2001 (next to be held in December 2002); election results: distribution of votes: no data; seat distribution: all independents.
Judicial branch: island court, island magistrate presides over the court and is elected every three years.
Political parties and leaders: no.
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations: SPC.
Diplomatic representation in the United States: none (overseas territory of Great Britain).
US Diplomatic Representation: None (UK Overseas Territory).
Flag description: blue with the flag of Great Britain in the upper left quarter and the coat of arms of Pitcairn Island in the center of the outer side of the flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green and blue with a shield bearing a yellow anchor.
Economics
Economy Overview: The inhabitants of this tiny area subsist on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and the issuance of postage stamps. The fertile land of the island produces a variety of fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams and beans. Barter is an important component of the economy. The main source of income is the sale of postage stamps to collectors and the sale of handicrafts to passengers of visiting ships.
GDP: at purchasing power parity – no data.
Real GDP growth rate: no data available.
GDP per capita: Purchasing power parity – no data available.
The composition of GDP by sectors of the economy: agriculture: no data; industry: no data; service sector: no data.
Proportion of the population below the poverty line: no data available.
Percentage distribution of household income or consumption: for the poorest 10% of households: n/a; by top 10% of households: no data.
Inflation rate at consumer prices: no data.
Labor force: 12 able-bodied men (1997).
Employment structure: no enterprises in the usual sense of the word; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing.
Unemployment rate: no data.
Budget: revenues: $729,884; expenditures: $878,119 including capital investment – NA (FY94-95 est.).
Spheres of economy: issue of postage stamps, handicraft production.
Growth in industrial production: no data available.
Electricity production: no data; electricity is generated by a small diesel generator.
Sources of electricity production:
Electricity consumption: no data.
Export of electricity:
Import of electricity:
Agricultural products: various fruits and vegetables, goats, chickens.
Export: no data.
Export items: fruits, vegetables, souvenirs, stamps.
Export partners: no data.
Import: no data.
Import articles: fuel, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs.
Import partners: no data.
External debt: no data. Recipient of economic assistance: no data.
Economic aid donor:
Currency: New Zealand dollar.
Currency code: NZD.
Exchange rate: NZD/USD – 2.2502 (January 2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997), 1.4543 (1996).
Fiscal year: April 1-March 31.
Telecommunications
Telecommunications Telephone lines: 1 (17 telephones on one line) (1997).
Mobile cell phones:
Phone system: only one phone line for all subscribers is in this small community; internal: one telephone line for all subscribers; international: radiotelephone.
Broadcast stations: AM – 1, FM -0, shortwave -0 (1998).
Radio receivers: no data.
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997).
TVs: no data.
Internet country code: pn
Internet service providers: not available.
Number of users: no data.
Transportation
Transport Railways: 0 km.
Roads: total: 6.4 km; coated: 0 km; unpaved: 6.4 km.
Ports and harbors: Bounty Bay.
Merchant fleet: none (2000 est.).
