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| Geography |
| 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 rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore. |
| Location: | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand |
| Geographic coordinates: | 25 04 S, 130 06 W |
| Area: | total: 47 sq km
land: 47 sq km
water: 0 sq kmSize comparison: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 51 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: | tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March) |
| Terrain: | rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m |
| Natural resources: | miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish
note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore |
| Land use: | arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA |
| Irrigated land: | NA |
| Natural hazards: | typhoons (especially November to March) |
| Current Environment Issues: | deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement) |
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| People |
| Population: | 48 (July 2008 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA |
| Median age: | |
| Population growth rate: | 0% (2008 est.) |
| Birth rate: | NA |
| Death rate: | NA (2008 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | NA |
| Sex ratio: | NA |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2008 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA (2008 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | NA (2008 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Pitcairn Islander(s)
adjective: Pitcairn Islander |
| Ethnic groups: | descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives |
| Religions: | Seventh-Day Adventist 100% |
| Languages: | English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect) |
| Literacy: | NA |
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| Government |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands |
| Government type: | NA |
| Capital: | name: Adamstown
geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W
time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Independence: | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| National holiday: | Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
| Constitution: | 30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964 |
| Legal system: | local island by-laws |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal with three years residency |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council
head of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Mike WARREN (since 1 January 2008)
cabinet: NA
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007)
election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral Island Council (10 seats; 5 members elected by popular vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor including 1 seat for the Island Secretary, the Island Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor and council; elected members serve one-year terms)
elections: last held 24 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents |
| Judicial branch: | Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Judicial Officers are appointed by the Governor |
| Political parties and leaders: | none |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | none |
| International organization participation: | SPC, UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council
head of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Mike WARREN (since 1 January 2008)
cabinet: NA
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007)
election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council |
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| 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. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $NA |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | |
| GDP - real growth rate: | |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | |
| GDP - composition by sector: | |
| Labor force: | 15 able-bodied men (2004) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | note: no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing |
| Unemployment rate: | |
| Population below poverty line: | |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | |
| Budget: | revenues: $746,000
expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05) |
| Public debt: | |
| Agriculture - products: | honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens, fish |
| Industries: | postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey |
| Industrial production growth rate: | |
| Electricity - production: | NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered generator |
| Electricity - consumption: | |
| Electricity - exports: | |
| Electricity - imports: | |
| Oil - production: | |
| Oil - consumption: | |
| Oil - exports: | |
| Oil - imports: | |
| Oil - proved reserves: | |
| Natural gas - production: | |
| Natural gas - consumption: | |
| Exports: | $NA |
| Exports - commodities: | fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps |
| Exports - partners: | |
| Imports: | $NA |
| Imports - commodities: | fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners: | |
| Debt - external: | |
| Currency (code): | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
| Exchange rates: | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003) |
| Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March |
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| Communications |
| Telephones in use: | 1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004) |
| Cellular Phones in use: | |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: satellite phone services
domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB)
international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1 (Inmarsat) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (15 Ham radio operators (VP6)) (2004) |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .pn |
| Internet hosts: | 9 (2007) |
| Internet users: | NA |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: | |
| Airports (paved runways): | |
| Roadways: | |
| Ports and terminals: | Adamstown (on Bounty Bay) |
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| Military |
| Defense is the responsibility of the UK |
| Military branches: | |
| Manpower available for military service: | |
| Manpower fit for military service: | |
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