Pitcairn Islands
The Pitcairn Islands (/ˈpɪtkɛərn/; Pitkern: Pitkern Ailen), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four islands—Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno—are scattered across several hundred miles of ocean and have a combined land area of about 18 square miles (47 km2). Henderson Island accounts for 86% of the land area, but only Pitcairn Island is inhabited. The islands nearest to the Pitcairn Islands are Mangareva (of French Polynesia), 688 km to the west, and Easter Island, 1,929 km to the east.
Pitcairn Islands | |
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Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands | |
Anthem: "God Save the King" | |
Local anthem: "Come Ye Blessed" | |
Map showing location of the Pitcairn Islands (circled at the lower-right and magnified in an inset) | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Settlement | 15 January 1790 |
British colony | 30 November 1838 |
Capital and largest settlement | Adamstown 25°04′S 130°06′W |
Official languages | |
Ethnic groups | Pitcairn Islanders |
Demonym(s) |
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Government | Devolved locally governing dependency |
• Monarch | Charles III |
• Governor | Iona Thomas |
Steve Townsend | |
• Mayor | Simon Young |
Legislature | Island Council |
Government of the United Kingdom | |
• Minister | David Rutley |
Area | |
• Total | 47 km2 (18 sq mi) (not ranked) |
Highest elevation | 330 m (1,080 ft) |
Population | |
• 2021 estimate | 47 (last) |
• Density | 1/km2 (2.6/sq mi) (not ranked) |
GDP (nominal) | 2005 estimate |
• Total | NZ$217,000 |
• Per capita | NZ$4,617.02 |
Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZ$) (NZD) |
Time zone | UTC-08:00 |
Driving side | left |
Calling code | +64 |
UK postcode | PCRN 1ZZ |
ISO 3166 code | PN |
Internet TLD | .pn |
Website | https://www.government.pn/ |
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The Pitcairn Islanders are a biracial ethnic group descended mostly from nine Bounty mutineers and a handful of Tahitian consorts—as is still apparent from the surnames of many of the islanders. The mutiny and its aftermath have been the subject of many books and films. As of January 2020, the territory had only 47 permanent inhabitants.