Pitcairn-Islands

PITCAIRN-ISLANDS

Information about travelling to Pitcairn-Islands

Pitcairn-Islands is located in Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand

Facts about Pitcairn-Islands
Population48 (July 2008 est.)
CapitalAdamstown
Time zoneUTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Location Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand

General info about Pitcairn-Islands
Pitcairn 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 Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.
Languages spoken
English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Ethnic division
descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate
NA
Climate
tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Resources
miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Economy
The 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 beans. 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.
Environment
deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)

Cities in Pitcairn-Islands




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