PITCAIRN ISLANDS
(dependent territory of the UK)
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 47 km2; land area: 47 km2
Comparative area: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 51 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical, hot, humid, modified by southeast trade winds;
rainy season (November to March)
Terrain: rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Natural resources: miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish
Land use: arable land NA%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and
pastures NA%; forest and woodland NA%; other NA%
Environment: subject to typhoons (especially November to March)
Note: located in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between
Peru and New Zealand
PEOPLE
Population: 56 (July 1991), growth rate 0.0% (1991)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: NA migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: NA years male, NA years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Pitcairn Islander(s); adjective--Pitcairn
Islander
Ethnic divisions: descendants of Bounty mutineers
Religion: Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Language: English (official); also a Tahitian/English dialect
Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force: NA; no business community in the usual sense; some
public works; subsistence farming and fishing
Organized labor: NA
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: Adamstown
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution: Local Government Ordinance of 1964
Legal system: local island by-laws
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second
Saturday in June), 10 June 1989
Executive branch: British monarch, governor, island magistrate
Legislative branch: unicameral Island Council
Judicial branch: Island Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by the Governor and UK High Commissioner to New Zealand
David Joseph MOSS (since NA 1990);
Head of Government--Island Magistrate and Chairman of the Island
Council Brian YOUNG (since NA 1985)
Political parties and leaders: NA
Suffrage: universal at age 18 with three years residency
Elections:
Island Council--last held NA (next to be held NA);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(11 total, 5 elected) number of seats by party NA
Communists: none
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: SPC
Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant
and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the
flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a shield
featuring a yellow anchor
ECONOMY
Overview: The inhabitants exist on fishing and subsistence farming.
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.
GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $430,440; expenditures $429,983, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY87 est.)
Exports: $NA;
commodities--fruits, vegetables, curios;
partners--NA
Imports: $NA;
commodities--fuel oil, machinery, building materials,
flour, sugar, other foodstuffs;
partners--NA
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 110 kW capacity; 0.30 million kWh produced,
5,360 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries: postage stamp sales, handicrafts
Agriculture: based on subsistence fishing and farming; wide variety
of fruits and vegetables grown; must import grain products
Economic aid: none
Currency: New Zealand dollar (plural--dollars);
1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1--1.6798
(January 1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989), 1.5244 (1988), 1.6866
(1987), 1.9088 (1986), 2.0064 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: none
Highways: 6.4 km dirt roads
Ports: Bounty Bay
Airports: none
Telecommunications: 24 telephones; party line telephone service
on the island; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; diesel generator provides
electricity
DEFENSE FORCES
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK