Communications: Broadcast media
satellite TV from Fiji-based Sky Pacific offering a wide range of international channels
Communications: Internet country code
.pn
Communications: Internet users: percent of population
96.2% (2021 est.)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular
No traditional public cellular network. Satellite-based internet (Starlink) and VoIP apps (WhatsApp, Viber) are available.
Economy: Agricultural products
honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens; fish
Economy: Exchange rates: Currency
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar -
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2020
1.542 (2020 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2021
1.414 (2021 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2022
1.577 (2022 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2023
1.628 (2023 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2024
1.652 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exports - commodities
fertilizers, sulfur, refined petroleum, excavation machinery, ethylene polymers (2022)
Economy: Imports - commodities
construction vehicles, refined petroleum, beef, computers, other foods (2023)
Environment: Climate
tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Environment: Environmental issues
deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land
0% (2022 est.)
Environment: Land use: forest
74.5% (2022 est.)
Environment: Land use: other
25.5% (2022 est.)
Geography: Area - comparative
about three-tenths the size of Washington, D.C.
Geography: Area: land
47 sq km
Geography: Area: water
0 sq km
Geography: Coastline
51 km
Geography: Elevation: highest point
Palwala Valley Point on Big Ridge 347 m
Geography: Elevation: lowest point
Pacific Ocean 0 m
Geography: Geographic coordinates
25 04 S, 130 06 W
Geography: Geography - note
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 longboat from larger ships stationed offshore
Geography: Irrigated land
0 sq km (2022)
Geography: Land boundaries: total
0 km
Geography: Land use: agricultural land
0% (2022 est.)
Geography: Land use: forest
74.5% (2022 est.)
Geography: Land use: other
25.5% (2022 est.)
Geography: Map references
Oceania
Geography: Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Geography: Maritime claims: territorial sea
12 nm
Geography: Natural hazards
occasional tropical cyclones (especially November to March), but generally only heavy tropical storms; landslides
Geography: Population distribution
a handful of inhabitants, most residing near the village of Adamstown
Geography: Terrain
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Government: Capital: etymology
named after John ADAMS (1767–1829), the last survivor of the Bounty mutineers who settled on Pitcairn Island in 1790
Government: Capital: geographic coordinates
25 04 S, 130 05 W
Government: Capital: time difference
UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Government: Citizenship
see United Kingdom
Government: Constitution: history
several previous; latest drafted 10 February 2010, presented 17 February 2010, effective 4 March 2010
Government: Country name: conventional short form
Pitcairn Islands
Government: Country name: etymology
named after English midshipman Robert PITCAIRN, who first sighted the island in 1767
Government: Dependency status
overseas territory of the UK
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Government: Executive branch: cabinet
none
Government: Executive branch: chief of state
King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands Iona THOMAS (since 9 August 2022)
Government: Executive branch: election results
Shawn CHRISTIAN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council
Government: Executive branch: election/appointment process
the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor directly elected by majority popular vote for a 3-year term
Government: Executive branch: expected date of next election
November 2028
Government: Executive branch: head of government
Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Shawn CHRISTIAN (since 5 November 2025)
Government: Executive branch: most recent election date
5 November 2025
Government: Flag
description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the right half of the flag; the green field features a yellow anchor with a Bible over it (both were on the HMS Bounty ); a Pitcairn Island wheelbarrow is on the crest, with a flowering twig of miro (a local plant) meaning: the green, yellow, and blue of the shield represents the island rising from the ocean
Government: International organization participation
SPC, UPU
Government: Judicial branch: highest court(s)
Pitcairn Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, 2 judges, and the Supreme Court chief justice, an ex-officio member); Pitcairn Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 2 judges)
Government: Judicial branch: judge selection and term of office
all judges of both courts appointed by the governor of the Pitcairn Islands on the instructions of the British monarch through the Secretary of State; all judges can serve until retirement, normally at age 75
Government: Judicial branch: subordinate courts
Magistrate's Court
Government: Legal system
local island by-laws
Government: Legislative branch: electoral system
plurality/majority
Government: Legislative branch: expected date of next election
N/A
Government: Legislative branch: legislative structure
unicameral
Government: Legislative branch: legislature name
Island Council
Government: Legislative branch: most recent election date
6 November 2019
Government: Legislative branch: number of seats
10 (directly elected and appointed)
Government: Legislative branch: parties elected and seats per party
independent (5)
Government: Legislative branch: percentage of women in chamber
60%
Government: Legislative branch: scope of elections
full renewal
Government: Legislative branch: term in office
2 years note: the councilors and the deputy mayor serve 2-year terms, the mayor serves a 3-year term, and the administrator is appointed by the governor for an indefinite term
Government: National anthem(s): history
official anthem, as a UK overseas territory
Government: National anthem(s): lyrics/music
unknown
Government: National holiday
Official birthday of King Charles III, usually celebrated the second Saturday in June (1948); Discovery Day (Pitcairn Day), 2 July (1767)
Government: Political parties
none
Government: Suffrage
18 years of age; universal with three years of residency
Introduction: Background
Polynesians were the first settlers on the four tiny islands that are now called the Pitcairn Islands, but all four were uninhabited by the time Europeans discovered them in 1606. Pitcairn Island -- the only one now inhabited -- was rediscovered by a British explorer in 1767. In 1789, Fletcher CHRISTIAN led a mutiny on the HMS Bounty, and after several months of searching for Pitcairn Island, he landed on it with eight other mutineers and their Tahitian companions. They lived in isolation and evaded detection by English authorities until 1808, when only one man, 10 women, and 23 children remained. In 1831, with the population of 87 proving too big for the island, the British attempted to move all the islanders to Tahiti, but they were soon returned to Pitcairn Island. The island became an official British colony in 1838, and in 1856, the British again determined that the population of 193 was too high and relocated all the residents to Norfolk Island. Several families returned in 1858 and 1864, bringing the island’s population to 43, and almost all of the island’s current population are descendants of these returnees. The UK annexed the nearby uninhabited islands of Henderson, Oeno, and Ducie in 1902 and incorporated them into the Pitcairn Islands colony in 1938. The population peaked at 233 in 1937 as outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has since thinned the population. Only two children were born between 1986 and 2012, and in 2005, a couple became the first outsiders to obtain citizenship in more than a century. Since 2013, the Pitcairn Islands has tried to attract new migrants but has had no applicants because it requires prospective migrants to front significant sums of money and prohibits employment during a two-year trial period, at which point the local council can deny long-term resident status.
Military and Security: Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the UK
People and Society: Ethnic groups
descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
People and Society: Nationality: adjective
Pitcairn Islander
People and Society: Population distribution
a handful of inhabitants, most residing near the village of Adamstown
People and Society: Population growth rate
0% (2014 est.)
Warning: Some information might be outdated or incorrect, please check statistics before using(most of the economical stats are correct, its mostly the Population stats that are incorrect). Some dates are listed but some are missed, if you have any issues please report it to the Github at github.com.