Adamstown
Pitcairn Islands
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Locator 🗺️ Map
50 (2025 est.)
47 sq km
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
🧭 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.
🗺️ Geography
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
25 04 S, 130 06 W
Oceania
47 sq km
47 sq km
0 sq km
About three-tenths the size of Washington, D.C.
0 km
51 km
12 nm
200 nm
Tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Palwala Valley Point on Big Ridge 347 m
Pacific Ocean 0 m
Miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish
0% (2022 est.)
74.5% (2022 est.)
25.5% (2022 est.)
0 sq km (2022)
A handful of inhabitants, most residing near the village of Adamstown
Occasional tropical cyclones (especially November to March), but generally only heavy tropical storms; landslides
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
👥 People and Society⬆️ Top
50 (2025 est.)
Pitcairn Islander(s)
Pitcairn Islander
Descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Seventh Day Adventist 100%
0% (2014 est.)
A handful of inhabitants, most residing near the village of Adamstown
🌿 Environment⬆️ Top
Deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
0% (2022 est.)
74.5% (2022 est.)
25.5% (2022 est.)
🏛️ Government⬆️ Top
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
Pitcairn Islands
Named after English midshipman Robert PITCAIRN, who first sighted the island in 1767
Parliamentary democracy
Overseas territory of the UK
Adamstown
25 04 S, 130 05 W
UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Named after John ADAMS (1767–1829), the last survivor of the Bounty mutineers who settled on Pitcairn Island in 1790
Local island by-laws
Several previous; latest drafted 10 February 2010, presented 17 February 2010, effective 4 March 2010
See United Kingdom
18 years of age; universal with three years of residency
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)
Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Shawn CHRISTIAN (since 5 November 2025)
None
The monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor directly elected by majority popular vote for a 3-year term
5 November 2025
Shawn CHRISTIAN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council
November 2028
Island Council
Unicameral
10 (directly elected and appointed)
Plurality/majority
Full renewal
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
6 November 2019
Independent (5)
60%
N/A
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)
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
Magistrate's Court
None
None (overseas territory of the UK)
None (overseas territory of the UK)
SPC, UPU
None (overseas territory of the UK)
Official birthday of King Charles III, usually celebrated the second Saturday in June (1948); Discovery Day (Pitcairn Day), 2 July (1767)
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
"God Save the King"
Unknown
Official anthem, as a UK overseas territory
💹 Economy⬆️ Top
Small South Pacific British island territorial economy; exports primarily postage stamps, handicraft goods, honey, and tinctures; extremely limited infrastructure; dependent upon UK and EU aid; recent border reopening post-COVID-19
Honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens; fish
Postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey
UK 21%, Canada 19%, Tanzania 12%, Colombia 11%, Spain 8% (2023)
Fertilizers, sulfur, refined petroleum, excavation machinery, ethylene polymers (2022)
USA 59%, NZ 37%, Italy 2%, UAE 1%, Brazil 1% (2023)
Construction vehicles, refined petroleum, beef, computers, other foods (2023)
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar -
1.652 (2024 est.)
1.628 (2023 est.)
1.577 (2022 est.)
1.414 (2021 est.)
1.542 (2020 est.)
📡 Communications⬆️ Top
No traditional public cellular network. Satellite-based internet (Starlink) and VoIP apps (WhatsApp, Viber) are available.
Satellite TV from Fiji-based Sky Pacific offering a wide range of international channels
.pn
96.2% (2021 est.)
🛡️ Military and Security⬆️ Top
Defense is the responsibility of the UK
Source: Factbook JSON archive.