BackgroundPitcairn 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 Zland, has thinned the population from a pk of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.
GeographyBritain'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.Loion:Ocnia, islands in the South Pacific Ocn, about midway between Peru and New ZlandGeographic coordinates:25 04 S, 130 06 WAr:total: 47 sq km
land: 47 sq km
water: 0 sq kmSize comparison: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land Boundaries:0 kmCoastline:51 kmMaritime claims:territorial s: 3 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nmClimate:tropical; hot and humid; modified by southst trade winds; rainy sson (November to March)Terrain:rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffsElevation extremes:lowest point: Pacific Ocn 0 m
highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 mNatural resources:miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshoreLand use:arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NAIrrigated land:NANatural hazards:typhoons (especially November to March)Current Environment Issues:deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of ing and clring for settlement)
PeoplePopulation:48 (July 2008 est.)Age structure:0-14 yrs: NA
15-64 yrs: NA
65 yrs and over: NAMedian age:
Population growth rate:0% (2008 est.)Birth rate:NA (2008 est.)Dth rate:NA (2008 est.)Net migration rate:NA (2008 est.)Sex ratio:NAInfant mortality rate:total: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2008 est.)Life expectancy at birth:total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2008 est.)Total fertility rate:NA (2008 est.)HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NAHIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NAHIV/AIDS - dths:NANationality:noun: Pitcairn Islander(s)
adjective: Pitcairn IslanderEthnic groups:descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wivesReligions:Seventh-Day Adventist 100%Languages:English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)Literacy:NA
GovernmentCountry name:conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
conventional short form: Pitcairn IslandsGovernment type:NACapital:name: Adamstown
geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W
time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)Administrative divisions:none (overss territory of the UK)Independence:none (overss territory of the UK)National holiday:Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)Constitution:30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964Legal system:local island by-lawsSuffrage:18 yrs of age; universal with three yrs residencyExecutive branch:chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zland and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council
hd of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Mike WARREN (since 1 January 2008)
cabinet: NA
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a three-yr term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007)
election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the Island CouncilLegislative branch:unicameral Island Council (10 sts; 5 members elected by popular vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor including 1 st for the Island Secretary, the Island Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor and council; elected members serve one-yr terms)
elections: last held 24 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA; sts - all independentsJudicial branch:Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appl; Judicial rs are appointed by the GovernorPolitical parties and lders:nonePolitical pressure groups and lders:noneInternational organization participation:SPC, UPUDiplomatic representation in the US:none (overss territory of the UK)Diplomatic representation from the US:none (overss territory of the UK)
EconomyThe inhabitants of this tiny isolated 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 bns. 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. In October 2004, more than one-quarter of Pitcairn's small labor force was arrested, putting the economy in a bind, since their services were required as lighter crew to load or unload passing ships.GDP (purchasing power parity):$NAGDP (official exchange rate):
GDP - rl growth rate:
GDP - per capita (PPP):
GDP - composition by sector:
Labor force:15 able-bodied men (2004)Labor force - by occupation:note: no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishingUnemployment rate:
Population below poverty line:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Budget:revenues: $746,000
expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05)Agriculture - products:
Industries:postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honeyIndustrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered Exports:$NAExports - commodities:fruits, vegetables, curios, stampsImports:$NAImports - commodities:fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffsDebt - external:
Currency ():New Zland dollar (NZD)Exchange rates:New Zland dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.4151 (2008 est.), 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004)Fiscal yr:1 April - 31 March
CommuniionsTele in use:1 (there are 17 tele on one party line); (2004)Cellular in use:
Telephone system:eral assessment: satellite phone services
domestic: domestic communiion via radio (CB)
international: country - 872; satellite rth station - 1 (Inmarsat)Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (15 Ham radio operators (VP6)) (2004)Television broadcast stations:
Internet country :.pnInternet hosts:12 (2008)Internet users:NA
TransportationRoadways:
Ports and terminals:Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)
MilitaryDefense is the responsibility of the UK
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