Pitcairn Islands

The Pitcairn Islands are far away in the Pacific Ocean.

There are four islands. People live on just one, called Pitcairn Island.

The Pitcairn Islands lie in the South Pacific Ocean, about 2,170 kilometers east-southeast of Tahiti. There are four islands: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno. Only Pitcairn Island has people living on it.

The islands are a British overseas territory. Their governor is the British High Commissioner to New Zealand, and the islands' office is in Auckland, New Zealand, more than 5,000 kilometers away. On the island, an Island Council led by a mayor runs everyday matters. English and Pitkern are the official languages.

The territory's official name lists all four islands: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno. The government describes Pitcairn as a small volcanic outcrop at about 25.04° S, 130.06° W, roughly 2,170 km east-southeast of Tahiti and just over 6,600 km from Panama; the administrative headquarters is in Auckland, 5,310 km away.

UNESCO explains that the Wellington-based British High Commissioner to New Zealand holds the office of Governor, much day-to-day administration is handled by a Commissioner in Auckland, and the Island Council (a mayor, officials, four elected members and two appointed advisers) runs local affairs. A 2010 constitution set out residents' rights and freedoms. English and Pitkern, a mix of Tahitian and 18th-century English, are official.

Adamstown is the only village. Its houses sit on a green hill above the sea.

A steep road climbs up from the bay.

Adamstown, the capital and only settlement, sits on the north coast above Bounty Bay, one of the few places where longboats can land. A steep road called the Hill of Difficulty climbs from the bay up to the village. The photo shows houses scattered among green trees on the slopes, with a ship out at sea.

Pitcairn Island is only about 3.2 kilometers long and 1.6 kilometers wide. Visitors arrive on the islands' supply ship, which carries passengers, or on yachts sailing between Easter Island and Tahiti, and some come ashore from visiting cruise ships.

Adamstown, the chief and only settlement, lies on the north coast above Bounty Bay, which Britannica calls one of the few places where longboats can land; the government notes that the village is reached by a road aptly named the Hill of Difficulty. Pitcairn Island is about 3.2 km by 1.6 km.

Visit Pitcairn, the government's tourism department, describes stays of 4, 11 or 18 days aboard the passenger and supply vessel MV Silver Supporter, yachts calling on the passage from Easter Island to Tahiti, and visiting cruise ships.

Pitcairn Island is green and steep, with high cliffs.

The other three islands are low and made of coral. No one lives on them.

Pitcairn Island is the rugged half of an old volcanic crater, with steep cliffs all around the coast. Its highest point is Pawala Valley Ridge, 347 meters high. The climate is subtropical, with enough rain, and the soil is fertile.

Henderson Island, about 200 kilometers to the northeast, is a raised coral atoll with limestone cliffs and white beaches. It is the biggest island of the group, yet no one lives there. Oeno lies to the northwest and Ducie far to the east.

Britannica describes Pitcairn Island as a rugged half-crater rising to some 340 m and girded by precipitous coastal cliffs (Wikidata gives Pawala Valley Ridge, the high point, as 347 m), with a subtropical climate, adequate rainfall and fertile soil.

Henderson Island, 200 km northeast of Pitcairn, is an elevated coral atoll of some 3,700 ha, the group's largest island, unsuitable for farming and with little fresh water. UNESCO calls it one of the last near-pristine limestone islands of significant size in the world, with white sandy beaches, limestone cliffs and almost undisturbed vegetation. Polynesians lived on Henderson between the 12th and 15th centuries, but it has been uninhabited since. Oeno and Ducie are low atolls northwest and far east of Pitcairn.

Lots of seabirds nest on Henderson Island.

A small bird there cannot fly. Big whales swim past Pitcairn too.

Henderson Island has four kinds of land bird found nowhere else on Earth, including the Henderson crake, a bird that cannot fly. It is the only known nesting place of the endangered Henderson petrel, a seabird. Rats brought by people centuries ago harm these birds.

The seas around the islands are a marine reserve where fishing is not allowed except small traditional uses. Humpback whales visit at certain times of year. The whale calf in this photo was taken in French Polynesia.

UNESCO notes that all four of Henderson's land birds are endemic, including the very distinct flightless Henderson crake, that the island is the only known breeding site of the endangered Henderson petrel, and that it holds ten endemic plant taxa. Invasive species are the greatest threat: Polynesian rats introduced centuries ago deplete native birds, and plastic debris washes up on the beaches.

The Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve, created by the British government on 18 March 2015, covers 834,000 km² as a no-take reserve that allows traditional small-scale uses. Henderson and Ducie have been recognized as important areas for sharks, including grey reef sharks. Humpback whales frequent Pitcairn's waters in season; the calf pictured was photographed off Moorea, French Polynesia.

Only about 50 people live on Pitcairn Island.

They grow food, catch fish and make crafts. Islanders keep bees and sell their honey.

Pitcairn has one of the smallest populations of any territory in the world: the government says around fifty people. Most are descended from the Bounty sailors and the Tahitians who came with them.

Britannica describes islanders living on fish, garden produce and crops such as sweet potatoes, taro, bananas and oranges, and keeping bees. Islanders sell honey, stamps, coins and handmade crafts such as carvings and woven baskets. The island got internet access in 2002. In 2023 a marine science base opened on the island.

The government puts the population at around fifty; its tourism department lists 40 (2021). Britannica records 66 in 2008, a decline it links to islanders emigrating to New Zealand. The people are descended from the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions; some descendants have lived on Norfolk Island since 1856.

Britannica describes a diet of fish, garden produce and crops (sweet potatoes, sugarcane, taro, oranges, bananas, coffee), some beekeeping, cash from honey, stamps, coins and tourism, and budgetary aid from Britain; residents gained internet access in 2002. The government promotes over 200 handmade crafts, from carvings to woven baskets. A Marine Science Base for research on climate change and endangered species opened in September 2023.