^ThePitcairn Islands dollar is also official legal tender, although it does not circulate as widely.
ThePitcairn Islands (/ˈpɪtkɛərn/PIT-kairn;[5]Pitkern:Pitkern Ailen), officiallyPitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands,[6][7][8][9] are a group of four volcanic islands in the southernPacific Ocean that form the soleBritish Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four islands—Pitcairn,Henderson,Ducie andOeno—are scattered across several hundred kilometres (miles) of ocean and have a combined land area of about 47 square kilometres (18 square miles). Henderson Island accounts for 86% of the land area, but only Pitcairn Island is inhabited. The inhabited islands nearest to the Pitcairn Islands areMangareva (ofFrench Polynesia), 688 km (428 miles) to the west,[note 2] as well asEaster Island, 1,929 km (1199 miles) to the east.
ThePitcairn Islanders are descended primarily from nineBritishHMSBounty mutineers and twelveTahitian women. In 2023, the territory had a permanent population of 35, making it the smallest territory in the world by number of permanent residents.[3] Owing to the island's extreme isolation and small population, incidents of widespreadsexual abuse went undetected until 1999, culminating in a high-profilesexual assault trial in 2004.
Various forms of evidence show the earliest settlers of the Pitcairn Islands werePolynesians who occupied Pitcairn and Henderson for several centuries until the islands were abandoned: Henderson most likely before the 16th century and Pitcairn in the 17th or early 18th century. The islands were uninhabited when they were discovered by Europeans.[10][11]
Portuguese sailorPedro Fernandes de Queirós came upon Ducie and Henderson Islands while sailing for the Spanish Crown, arriving on 26 January 1606. He named them La Encarnación ("The Incarnation") and San Juan Bautista ("SaintJohn the Baptist"), respectively. However, some sources express doubt about exactly which of the islands were visited and named by Queirós, suggesting that La Encarnación may actually have been Henderson Island, and San Juan Bautista may have been Pitcairn Island.[12]
Carteret, who sailed without the newly inventedmarine chronometer, charted the island at25°02′S133°21′W / 25.033°S 133.350°W /-25.033; -133.350, and although thelatitude was reasonably accurate, his recorded longitude was incorrect by about 3°, putting his coordinates 330 km (210 mi) to the west of the actual island. This made Pitcairn difficult to find, as highlighted by the failure of captainJames Cook to locate the island in July 1773.[13][14]
The mutineers turning Bligh and some of the officers and crew adrift fromHMS Bounty on 29 April 1789.Adamstown, the only settlement on the Islands
In 1790, nine of the mutineers from the British naval vesselHMS Bounty, along with the native Tahitian men and women who were with them (six men, 11 women, and a baby girl), settled on Pitcairn Island and set fire to theBounty. Later inhabitants of the island remained aware of theBounty's location, which is still visible underwater inBounty Bay, but the wreckage gained significant attention in 1957 when documented byNational Geographic explorerLuis Marden. Although the settlers survived by farming and fishing, the initial period of settlement was marked by serious tensions among them.Alcoholism,murder, disease and other ills took the lives of most mutineers and Tahitian men.John Adams andNed Young turned to thescriptures, using the ship'sBible as their guide for a new and peaceful society. Young eventually died of anasthmatic infection.
The Pitcairn islanders reported it was not until 27 December 1795 that the first ship since theBounty was seen from the island, but it did not approach the land and they could not make out the nationality. A second ship appeared in 1801, but made no attempt to communicate with them. A third came sufficiently near to see their house, but did not try to send a boat on shore. Finally, the Americansealing shipTopaz, underMayhew Folger, became the first to visit the island, when the crew spent ten hours on Pitcairn in February 1808.[15] Whalers subsequently became regular visitors to the island. The last recorded whaler to visit was theJames Arnold in 1888.[16]
View of Pitcairn's Island, South Seas, 1814, J. Shillibeer
Henderson Island was rediscovered on 17 January 1819 by British Captain James Henderson of the BritishEast India Company shipHercules.[22] Captain Henry King, sailing onElizabeth, landed on 2 March to find the king'scolours already flying. His crew scratched the name of their ship into a tree. Oeno Island was discovered on 26 January 1824 by American captainGeorge Worth aboard the whalerOeno.
In 1832, having tried and failed to petition the British government and theLondon Missionary Society,Joshua Hill, an American adventurer, arrived.[23] He reported that by March 1833, he had founded atemperance society to combat drunkenness, a "Maundy Thursday Society", a monthly prayer meeting, a juvenile society, a Peace Society and a school.[24]
Traditionally, Pitcairn Islanders consider that their islands officially became a British colony on 30 November 1838, at the same time becomingone of the first territories to extend voting rights to women. By the mid-1850s, the Pitcairn community was outgrowing the island; its leaders appealed to the British government for assistance, and were offeredNorfolk Island. On 3 May 1856, the entire population of 193 people set sail for Norfolk on board theMorayshire, arriving on 8 June after a difficult five-week trip. However, just 18 months later, 17 of the Pitcairn Islanders returned to their home island, and another 27 followed five years later.[18]
HMS Thetis visited Pitcairn Island on 18 April 1881 and "found the people very happy and contented, and in perfect health". At that time the population was 96, an increase of six since the visit ofAdmiral de Horsey in September 1878. Stores had recently been delivered from friends in England, including two whale-boats andPortland cement, which was used to make the reservoir watertight. HMSThetis gave the islanders 200 lb (91 kg) ofship's biscuits, 100 lb (45 kg) of candles, and 100 lb of soap and clothing to the value of £31, donated by theship's company. An American trading ship calledVenus had in 1882 bestowed a supply ofcotton seed, to provide the islanders with a crop for future trade.[25]
Pitcairn islanders, 1916
In 1886, theSeventh-day Adventist laymanJohn Tay visited Pitcairn and persuaded most of the islanders to accept his faith. He returned in 1890 on the missionary schoonerPitcairn with an ordained minister to performbaptisms. Since then, the majority of Pitcairn Islanders have been Adventists.[26]
The islands of Henderson, Oeno and Ducie were annexed by Britain in 1902: Henderson on 1 July, Oeno on 10 July, and Ducie on 19 December.[12] In 1938, the three islands, along with Pitcairn, were incorporated into a single administrative unit called the "Pitcairn Group of Islands". The population peaked at 233 in 1937.[27] It has since decreased owing to emigration, primarily to Australia and New Zealand.[28]
Three cases of imprisonment for raping underage girls were reported in the 1950s.[29] In 1999, Gail Cox, a police officer fromKent,United Kingdom, served on a temporary assignment on Pitcairn, and uncovered allegations of sexual abuse. When a 15-year-old girl decided to pressrape charges in 1999, criminal proceedings (code-named "Operation Unique") were set in motion. The charges included 21 counts ofrape, 41 ofindecent assault, and two ofgross indecency with a child under 14. Over the following two years, police officers inAustralia, New Zealand and theUnited Kingdom interviewed every woman who had lived on Pitcairn in the past 20 years, as well as all of the accused men. These interviews revealed stories of girls as young as three being sexually assaulted and as young as 10 being gang-raped.[30] The file was held by Pitcairn's first Public Prosecutor Simon Moore, an Auckland Crown Solicitor appointed to the position by the British government for the purposes of the investigation.[31][30]
AustralianSeventh-day Adventist pastor Neville Tosen, who spent two years on Pitcairn around the turn of the millennium, said that on his arrival, he had been taken aback by the conduct of the children, but he had not immediately realised what was happening. "I noticed worrying signs such as inexplicable mood swings," he said. "It took me three months to realise they were being abused." Tosen tried to bring the matter before the Island Council (the legislative body which doubles as the island's court), but was rebuffed. One councillor told him, "Look, theage of consent has always been 12 and it doesn't hurt them."[32] A study of island records confirmed anecdotal evidence that most girls bore their first child between the ages of 12 and 15. "I think the girls were conditioned to accept that it was a man's world and once they turned 12, they were eligible," Tosen said. Mothers and grandmothers were resigned to the situation, telling him that their own childhood experience had been the same; they regarded it as just a part of life on Pitcairn. One grandmother wondered what all the fuss was about.
Tosen was convinced, however, that the early sexual experience was very damaging to the girls, outright stating, "They can't settle or form solid relationships. They did suffer, no doubt about it."[32][33] In 2016,Mike Warren, Pitcairn mayor from 2008 to 2013, was convicted and sentenced to 20 months imprisonment for possession of child pornography.[34][35]
In 2004, charges were laid against seven men living on Pitcairn and six residing abroad. This represented nearly a third of the male population and half of the island's adult males. After extensive trials, most were convicted, some on multiple counts of sexual assaults on children.[36] On 25 October 2004, six men were found guilty, includingSteve Christian, the island's mayor at the time.[37][38][39]
In the same year, the islanders surrendered about 20 firearms ahead of thesexual assault trials.[40] Following the loss of their final appeal, the British government constructed a prison at Bob's Valley to house the convicted men.[41][42] The men began serving their sentences in late 2006, and by 2010 all had either completed their terms or been granted home detention status.[43]
The Pitcairn Islands were formed by a centre of upwellingmagma called thePitcairn hotspot.Pitcairn Island is a volcanic remnant primarily formed oftuff, where the north side of the cone has been eroded.[44] Pitcairn is the only permanently inhabited island. Adamstown, the main settlement on the island, lies within the volcanic basin.[44] Pitcairn is accessible only by boat through Bounty Bay, due to the island's steep cliffs.[44] Henderson Island, covering about 86% of the territory's total land area and supporting a rich variety of animals in its nearly inaccessible interior, is also capable of supporting a small human population despite its scarce fresh water, but access is difficult, owing to its outer shores being steep limestone cliffs covered by sharp coral. In 1988, this island was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.[45] The other islands are at a distance of more than 100 km (62 mi) and are not habitable.
Pitcairn Island has no permanent water source; however, the island has three seasonal semi-permanent springs.[44]
In March 2019 theInternational Dark-Sky Association approved the Pitcairn Islands as a Dark Sky Sanctuary. The sanctuary encompasses all 4 islands in the Pitcairn Islands Group for a total land area of 43.25 km2 (163⁄4 sq. mi.).[48]
About nine plant species are thought to beendemic to Pitcairn. These include tapau, formerly an important timber resource, and thegiant nehe fern. Some, such as red berry (Coprosma rapensis var.Benefica), are perilously close to extinction.[49] The plant speciesGlochidion pitcairnense is endemic to Pitcairn and Henderson Islands.[50] Pitcairn is part of theTuamotu tropical moist forests terrestrial ecoregion.[51]
Between 1937 and 1951,Irving Johnson, skipper of the 29-metre (96 ft) brigantineYankee Five, introduced fiveGalápagos giant tortoises to Pitcairn. Turpen, also known asMr Turpen, or Mr. T, is the sole survivor. Turpen usually lives at Tedside by Western Harbour. A protection order makes it an offence should anyone kill, injure, capture, maim, or cause harm or distress to the tortoise.[52]
The birds of Pitcairn fall into several groups. These include seabirds, wading birds and a small number of resident land-bird species. Of 20 breeding species, Henderson Island has 16, including the unique flightlessHenderson crake; Oeno hosts 12; Ducie 13 and Pitcairn six species. Birds breeding on Pitcairn include thefairy tern,common noddy andred-tailed tropicbird. ThePitcairn reed warbler, known by Pitcairners as a "sparrow", is endemic to Pitcairn Island; formerly common, it was added to theendangered species list in 2008.[53]
The 2010 constitution gives authority for the islands to operate as arepresentative democracy, with the United Kingdom retaining responsibility for matters such as defence and foreign affairs. The Governor and the Island Council may enact laws for the "peace, order and good government" of Pitcairn. TheIsland Council customarily appoints aMayor of Pitcairn as a day-to-day head of the local administration.
Since 2015, same-sex marriage has been legal on Pitcairn Island, although there are no people on the island known to be in such a relationship.[61]
The Pitcairn Islands have the smallest population of any democracy in the world.
The fertile soil of the Pitcairn valleys, such as Isaac's Valley on the gentle slopes southeast ofAdamstown, produces a wide variety of fruits, including bananas (Pitkern:plun),papaya (paw paws),pineapples,mangoes,watermelons,cantaloupes,passionfruit,breadfruit,coconuts,avocadoes, andcitrus (includingmandarin oranges,grapefruit, lemons andlimes). Vegetables includesweet potatoes (kumura), carrots,sweet corn, tomatoes,taro,yams,peas, andbeans.Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) andsugarcane are grown and harvested to produce arrowroot flour andmolasses, respectively. Pitcairn Island is remarkably productive and its benign climate supports a wide range of tropical and temperate crops.[66] All land allocation for any use including agriculture is under the discretion of the government. If the government deems agricultural production excessive, then it may tax the land. If the agricultural land has been deemed not up to the standards of the government, it may confiscate and transfer the land without compensation.[67]
Fish are plentiful in the seas around Pitcairn.Spiny lobster and a large variety of fish are caught for meals and for trading aboard passing ships. Almost every day, someone will go fishing, whether it is from the rocks, from a longboat, or diving with a spear gun. There are numerous types of fish around the island. Fish such as nanwee, white fish, moi, and opapa are caught in shallow water, while snapper, big eye, and cod are caught in deep water, and yellow tail and wahoo are caught by trawling.
Manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver and zinc have been discovered within theexclusive economic zone, which extends 370 km (230 mi) offshore and comprises 880,000 km2 (340,000 sq mi).[68]
In 1998, the UK's overseas aid agency, theDepartment for International Development, funded anapiculture programme for Pitcairn which included training for Pitcairn'sbeekeepers and a detailed analysis of Pitcairn's bees and honey with particular regard to the presence or absence of disease. Pitcairn has one of the best examples of disease-free bee populations anywhere in the world and the honey produced was and remains exceptionally high in quality. Pitcairn bees are also a placid variety and, within a short time, beekeepers are able to work with them wearing minimal protection.[69] As a result, Pitcairn exports honey to New Zealand and to the United Kingdom. In London,Fortnum & Mason sells it and it is reportedly a favourite ofKing Charles and formerlyQueen Elizabeth.[70] The Pitcairn Islanders, under the "Bounty Products" and "Delectable Bounty" brands, also export dried fruit including bananas, papayas, pineapples, and mangoes to New Zealand.[71] Honey production and all honey-related products are a protected monopoly.[72] All funds and management are under the supervision and discretion of the government.[73][74]
Recipes from Norfolk Island of Pitcairn origin include mudda (green banana dumplings) and kumara pilhi.[79][80] The island's cuisine also includes foods not found on Pitcairn, such as chopped salads and fruit pies.[81]
Tourism plays a major role on Pitcairn. Tourism is the focus for building the economy. It focuses on small groups coming by charter vessel and staying at "home stays". About ten times a year, passengers from expedition-type cruise ships come ashore for a day, weather permitting.[82][83] As of 2019, the government has been operating the MVSilver Supporter as the island's only dedicated passenger/cargo vessel, providing adventure tourism holidays to Pitcairn every week. Tourists stay with local families and experience the island's culture while contributing to the local economy. Providing accommodation is a growing source of revenue, and some families have invested in private self-contained units adjacent to their homes for tourists to rent.
Entry requirements for short stays, up to 14 days, which do not require a visa, and for longer stays, that do require prior clearance, are explained in official documents.[84][85] All persons under 16 years of age require prior clearance before landing, irrespective of the length of stay.[86]
The government holds a monopoly over "any article of whatsoever nature made, manufactured, prepared for sale or produced by any of the inhabitants of Pitcairn Island".[73][failed verification] The flow of funds from these revenue sources are from customer to the government to the Pitcairners.[74] The Pitcairners are involved in creating crafts and curios (made out of wood fromHenderson). Typical woodcarvings include sharks, fish, whales, dolphins, turtles, vases, birds, walking sticks, book boxes, and models of theBounty. Miro (Thespesia populnea), a dark and durable wood, is preferred for carving. Islanders also producetapa cloth and painted Hattie leaves.[87]
The major sources of revenue have been the sale of coins and postage stamps to collectors,.pn domain names, and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships, most of which are on the United Kingdom to New Zealand route via thePanama Canal.[88] The Pitcairn Islands issued their first stamp in 1940. These became very popular withstamp collectors, and their sale became the dominant source of revenue for the community. Profits went into a general fund which enabled the island to be mostly self-sufficient. This fund was used to meet the regular needs of the community, and pay wages. Funds in excess of regular expenses were used to build a school and hire a teacher from New Zealand, the first professional teacher hired on the island. The fund was also used to subsidise imports and travel to New Zealand. At later points, the sale of coins and .pn domain names also contributed to the fund. Towards the end of the 20th century, as writing letters became less common and stamp collecting became less popular, revenue for the fund declined.[89] In 2004, the island went bankrupt, with the British government subsequently providing 90% of its annual budget.[90]
Diesel generators provide the island with electricity. A wind power plant was planned to be installed to help reduce the high cost of power generation associated with the import of diesel, but was cancelled in 2013 after a project overrun of three years and a cost of £250,000.[91]
All homes have solar systems generating over 95% of the electricity required for home use.
The only qualified high-voltage electrician on Pitcairn, who manages the electricity grid, reached the age of 67 in 2020.[92]
The islands have suffered a substantial population decline since 1940, and the island's community recognise that for the long-term sustainability repopulation is the number one strategic development objective (see§ Population decline, below). The government is committed to attracting migrants.[93]
Only two children were born on Pitcairn in the 21 years prior to 2012. However, in this period, other children were born to Pitcairn mothers who travelled to New Zealand to receive increased health care safeguards during pregnancy and childbirth.[94] In 2005, Shirley and Simon Young became the first married outsider couple in history to obtain citizenship on Pitcairn.[95]
Over 60% of Pitcairn Islanders aredescendants of theBounty mutineers and Tahitians (or other Polynesians).Pitkern is acreole language derived from 18th-century English, with elements of theTahitian language.[28][45] It is spoken as a first language by the population and is taught alongside English at the island's only school. It is closely related to the creole languageNorfuk, spoken onNorfolk Island, because Norfolk was repopulated in the mid-19th century by Pitcairners.
The only church building on the island isSeventh-day Adventist.[28] The Seventh-day Adventist Church is not astate religion, as no laws concerning its establishment were passed by thelocal government. A successful Seventh-day Adventist mission in the 1890s was important in shaping Pitcairn society. In recent years, the church population has declined, and as of 2000[update], eight of the then forty islanders attended services regularly,[96] but most attend church on special occasions. From Friday at sunset until Saturday at sunset, Pitcairners observe a day of rest in observance of theSabbath, or as a mark of respect for observant Adventists.
Church of Adamstown
The church was built in 1954. The Sabbath School meets at 10 am on Saturday mornings, and is followed by Divine Service an hour later. On Tuesday evenings, there is another service in the form of a prayer meeting.
Education is free and compulsory between the ages of five and 15.[97] Children up to the age of 12 are taught atPulau School, while children of 13 and over attend secondary school in New Zealand, or are educated via correspondence school.[98]
The island's children have produced a book inPitkern and English calledMi Bas Side orn Pitcairn orMy Favourite Place on Pitcairn.
The school on Pitcairn, Pulau School, provides pre-school and primary education based on the New Zealand syllabus. The teacher is appointed by the governor from qualified applicants who are registered in New Zealand as teachers. The government officially took responsibility for education in 1958; the Seventh-day Adventist Church had done so from the 1890s until 1958. There were ten students in 1999; enrolment was previously 20 in the early 1950s, 28 in 1959, and 36 in 1962. The Pulau School has a residence for teachers built in 2004; there was a previous such facility built in 1950.[97]
Pitcairn's population has significantly decreased since its peak of over 200 in the 1930s, to fewer than fifty permanent residents today (2021).[99][100]
As of April 2021[update], the total resident population of the Pitcairn Islands was 47.[102] It is rare for all the residents to be on-island at the same time; it is common for several residents to be off-island for varying lengths of time visiting family, for medical reasons, or to attend international conferences. Adiaspora survey completed by Solomon Leonard Ltd in 2014 for thePitcairn Island Council and theUnited Kingdom Government projected that by 2045, if nothing were done, only three people of working age would be left on the island, with the rest being very old. In addition, the survey revealed that residents who had left the island over the past decades showed little interest in coming back. Of the hundreds of emigrants contacted, only 33 were willing to participate in the survey and just three expressed a desire to return.[104]
As of 2014[update], the labour force consisted of 31 able-bodied persons: 17 males and 14 females between 18 and 64 years of age. Of the 31, just seven are younger than 40, but 18 are over the age of 50.[92] Most of the men undertake the more strenuous physical tasks on the island such as crewing the longboats, cargo handling, and the operation and maintenance of physical assets. Longboat crew retirement age is 58. There were then 12 men aged between 18 and 58 residing on Pitcairn. Eachlongboat requires a minimum crew of three; of the four longboatcoxswains, two were in their late 50s.[92]
The Pitcairn government's attempts to attract migrants have met with some success. Since 2015 settlement applications were approved for 8 persons, 3 of whom are living on Pitcairn.[92][93][105] The migrants are expected to have at leastNZ$30,000 per person in savings and are expected to build their own house at average cost of NZ$140,000.[106][107] It is also possible to bring off-island builders at an additional cost of between NZ$23,000 and NZ$28,000.[107] The average annual cost of living on the island isNZ$9,464.[106] There is, however, no assurance of the migrant's right to remain on Pitcairn; after their first two years, the council must review and reapprove the migrant's status.[108][109][110][111]
Freight fromTauranga to Pitcairn on theMVClaymore II (Pitcairn Island's dedicated passenger and cargo ship chartered by the Pitcairn government) is charged at NZ$350/m3 for Pitcairners and NZ$1,000/m3 for all other freight.[112] Additionally, Pitcairners are charged NZ$500 for a one-way trip; others are charged NZ$5,000.[92]
In 2014[update], the government's Pitcairn Islands Economic Report stated that "[no one] will migrate to Pitcairn Islands for economic reasons as there are limited government jobs, a lack of private sector employment, as well as considerable competition for the tourism dollar." The Pitcairners take turns to accommodate those few tourists who occasionally visit the island.[92]
As the island remains aBritish Overseas Territory, the British government may at some stage be required to make a decision about the island's future.[113][114]
The once-strict moral codes, which prohibited dancing,public displays of affection, smoking, and consumption of alcohol, have been relaxed. Islanders and visitors no longer require a six-month licence to purchase, import, and consume alcohol.[115] There is now one licensed café and bar on the island, and the government store sells alcohol and cigarettes.
Fishing and swimming are two popular recreational activities. A birthday celebration or the arrival of a ship or yacht will involve the entire Pitcairn community in a public dinner in the Square, Adamstown. Tables are covered in a variety of foods, including fish, meat, chicken, pilhi, baked rice, boiledplun (banana), breadfruit, vegetable dishes, an assortment of pies, bread, breadsticks, an array of desserts, pineapple, and watermelon.
Paid employees maintain the island's numerous roads and paths. As of 2011[update], the island had alabour force of over 35 men and women.[28]
Bounty Day is an annualpublic holiday celebrated on Pitcairn on 23 January[116] to commemorate the day in 1790 when the mutineers arrived on the island aboardHMSBounty.
ThePitcairn Miscellany is a monthly newspaper available in print and online editions.[121]Dem Tull was an online monthly newsletter published between 2007 and 2016.[122]
There is no broadcast station. Marine bandwalkie-talkie radios are used to maintain contact among people in different areas of the island. Foreign stations can be picked up onshortwave radio.
Callsign websiteQRZ.COM lists sixamateur radio operators on the island, using theITU prefix (assigned through the UK) of VP6, two of whom have a second VR6 callsign. However, two of these 6 are listed by QRZ.COM as deceased, while others are no longer active. Pitcairn Island has one callsign allocated to its Club Station, VP6PAC.
QRZ.COM lists 29 VP6 callsigns being allocated in total, 20 of them to off-islanders. Of these, five were allocated to temporary residents and ten to individuals visiting. The rest were assigned to theDX-peditions to Pitcairn, one of which took place in 2012[update].[123] In 2008 and 2018, major DX-peditions visitedDucie Island.[124][125]
Pitcairn can receive a number of television channels but only has capacity to broadcast two channels to houses at any one time. The channels are currently switched on a regular basis.[126] The transmitter was installed in 2006.[127]
There is one government-sponsoredsatellite Internet connection, with networking provided to the inhabitants of the island. Pitcairn'scountry code top-level domain is.pn. Residents pay NZ$120 (about £60) for unlimited data per month.[128] In 2012, a single 1 Mbit/s link installed provided the islanders with an Internet connection, the 1 Mbit/s was shared across all families on the island. By December 2017, the British Government implemented a 4G LTE mobile network in Adamstown with shared speeds of 5 Mbit/s across all islanders.[129]Starlink became available in February 2024.[130]
All settlers of the Pitcairn Islands arrived by boat or ship. Pitcairn Islanddoes not have an airport, airstrip or seaport; the islanders rely onlongboats to ferry people and goods between visiting ships and shore through Bounty Bay.[82] Access to the rest of the shoreline is restricted by jagged rocks. The island has one shallow harbour with a launch ramp accessible only by small longboats.[131] In 2014, a medical emergency requiring transport to a hospital inPapeete involved a 335nautical mile (540 km) trip in anopen boat to the island ofMangareva, then anair ambulance flight 975nautical miles (1570 km) toPapeete. It was organized by medical authorities in theUnited Kingdom andNew Zealand, andFrench authorities inMangareva andPapeete. TheBritish High Commissioner to New Zealand said "It can be a hazardous sea voyage from Pitcairn to Mangareva. This is especially so for open long boats. However, I'm pleased to say that all went well and both boats arrived safely in Mangareva mid-morning today, New Zealand time."[132]
There is one 6.4-kilometre (4 mi) paved road leading up from Bounty Bay through Adamstown.
The main modes of transport on Pitcairn Islands are by four-wheel drivequad bikes and on foot.[82] Much of the road and track network and some of the footpaths of Pitcairn Island are viewable onGoogle'sStreet View.[134][135]
Fletcher Christian (b 1764, d 1793 on Pitcairn), Master's mate on board HMSBounty, died here at age 28.[136]
Matthew Quintal (b 1766, d 1799 on Pitcairn), a Cornish able seaman and mutineer aboard HMSBounty
John Adams (b 1767, d 1829 on Pitcairn), the last survivor of the HMSBounty mutineers who settled on Pitcairn Island in January 1790, the year after the mutiny
Edgar Allen Christian (1879–1960), a politician from Pitcairn and Chief Magistrate of Pitcairn Island on several occasions between 1923 and 1939
Charles Richard Parkin Christian (1883–1971), a long-serving politician from Pitcairn and Chief Magistrate of Pitcairn Island for eleven years at various times between 1920 and 1957
Frederick Martin Christian (1883–1971), a politician from Pitcairn and Chief Magistrate of Pitcairn Island on three occasions between 1921 and 1943
John Lorenzo Christian (1895–1984), twice served as Chief Magistrate of Pitcairn Island: 1952–54 and 1961–66
Ivan Christian (1919–1991), a politician from Pitcairn and Chief Magistrate of Pitcairn Island from 1976 to 1984
Brenda Christian (born 1953), a political figure from the Pitcairn Islands who served the territory as its first female Mayor from 8 November to 15 December 2004
Jay Warren (born 1956), a political figure who served as the 3rd Mayor of Pitcairn Islands
Charlene Warren-Peu, a political figure who was the first woman elected in as Mayor for a full 3-year term
Simon Young (born 1965), a political figure who is the first non-native-born Pitcairn Islander to be elected as Mayor. He is an immigrant from Pickering in North Yorkshire, England, who emigrated to Pitcairn in 2000
^"Pitcairn Islands Strategic Development Plan, 2012–2016"(PDF).The Government of the Pitcairn Islands. 2013. p. 4. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 5 July 2015.Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ... NZ$217,000 (2005/06 indicative estimate) and NZ$4,340 per capita (based on 50 residents)
^Langdon, Robert (1984),Where the whalers went: an index to the Pacific ports and islands visited by American whalers (and some other ships) in the 19th century, Canberra, Pacific Manuscripst Bureau, p.207.ISBN086784471X
^Chapter X Sir Thomas Staines. The Annual Biography and Obituary for the Year ... Vol. 15. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. 1831. pp. 366–367.Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved5 July 2015.
^Church Missionary Society Archives.University of Birmingham. G/AC/15/75. quoted inWolffe, John (2007).The age of Wilberforce, More, Chalmers, and Finney. The expansion of evangelicalism. Vol. 2. Inter-Varsity Press.
^abMarks, Kathy (23 January 2002)."The Paradise that's under a cloud".The Independent. London: Independent news and media.Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved29 May 2009.
^Gauke, David, ed. (2015)."2.259 Marine Protected Area (MPA) at Pitcairn"(PDF).Budget 2015: The Red Book(PDF). London:HM Treasury. p. 97.ISBN978-1-4741-1616-9.OCLC907644530.Archived(PDF) from the original on 10 October 2015.The government intends to proceed with designation of [an] MPA around Pitcairn. This will be dependent upon reaching agreement withNGOs on satellite monitoring and with authorities in relevant ports to prevent landing of illegal catch, as well as on identifying a practical naval method of enforcing the MPA at a cost that can be accommodated within existing departmental expenditure limits.
^Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC): Pitcairn Islands-Joint Country Strategy, 2008.
^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived(PDF) from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved30 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^Pitcairn Islands Study Center, News Release: Products from Pitcairn, 7 November 1999.
^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived(PDF) from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved30 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ab"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived(PDF) from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved30 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ab"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived(PDF) from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved13 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^Pitcairn Island Report prepared by Jaques and Associates, 2003, p. 21.
^"APPLYING FOR A VISA FOR PITCAIRN".The Government of the PITCAIRN ISLANDS. Pitcairn Islands Office. 30 March 2018.Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved30 March 2018.
^"Entry requirements".Foreign travel advice Pitcairn Island. GOV.UK. 30 March 2018.Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved30 March 2018.
^Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Profile on Pitcairn Islands, British Overseas Territory, 11 February 2010.
^Pitcairn Island Report prepared by Jaques and Associates, 2003, p. 18.
^"Turning Point for Historic Adventist Community on Pitcairn Island".Adventist News Network. Silver Spring, Maryland: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. 28 May 2001.Archived from the original on 19 October 2015.Although the Adventist Church has always maintained a resident minister and nurse on Pitcairn, there have been fewer adherents and some church members have moved away from the island. By the end of 2000, regular church attendees among the island population of 40 numbered only eight.
Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, 1932
The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty by Caroline Alexander (Harper Perennial, London, 2003 pp. 491)
The Discovery of Fletcher Christian: A Travel Book by Glynn Christian, a descendant ofFletcher Christian, Bounty Mutineer (Guild Press, London, 2005 pp. 448)
Men Against the Sea by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, 1933
Pitcairn's Island by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, 1934
The Pitcairners by Robert B. Nicolson (Pasifika Press, Auckland, 1997 pp. 260)
After the Bounty: The Aftermath of the Infamous Mutiny on the HMS Bounty—An Insight to the Plight of the Mutineers by Cal Adams, a descendant ofJohn Adams, Bounty Mutineer (Self-published, Sydney, 2008 pp. 184)
The "Re-colonising of Pitcairn by Sue Farran, Senior Lecturer, University of Dundee; Visiting Lecturer, University of the South Pacific.
Ball, Ian M. –Pitcairn: Children of Mutiny. 1973
Belcher, Lady –The Mutineers of the Bounty and Their Descendants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands. 1870
Chaitanya, Devraj; Harper, Sarah; Zeller, Dirk (2012). "Reconstruction of total marine fisheries catches for the Pitcairn Islands (1950–2009)".Fisheries Centre Research Reports.20 (5). University of British Columbia:87–94.CiteSeerX10.1.1.303.3929.ISSN1198-6727.
24Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1962; overlaps portions of Argentine and Chilean claims, borders not enforced but claim not renounced under theAntarctic Treaty.
