Pitcairn Islands
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
parliamentary democracyIndependence none (overseas territory of the UK)
Pitcairn Islands as the 2025 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 60 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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
17 fieldsLand useshare of 47 sq km
Natural resources
miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Natural hazards
occasional tropical cyclones (especially November to March), but generally only heavy tropical storms; landslides
Geography - note
- 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
7 fieldsLanguages
English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Environment
3 fieldsLand use(2022 est.)
Environmental issues
deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Government
Parliamentary democracy; King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Shawn CHRISTIAN (since 5 November 2025)
19 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
- conventional short form:
- Pitcairn Islands
- etymology:
- named after English midshipman Robert PITCAIRN, who first sighted the island in 1767
Capital
- name:
- Adamstown
- geographic coordinates:
- 25 04 S, 130 05 W
- time difference:
- UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- etymology:
- named after John ADAMS (1767–1829), the last survivor of the Bounty mutineers who settled on Pitcairn Island in 1790
Constitution
history: several previous; latest drafted 10 February 2010, presented 17 February 2010, effective 4 March 2010
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- 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)
- head of government:
- Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Shawn CHRISTIAN (since 5 November 2025)
- cabinet:
- none
- election/appointment process:
- the monarchy is hereditary;
- governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch;
- island mayor directly elected by majority popular vote for a 3-year term
- most recent election date:
- 5 November 2025
- election results:
- Shawn CHRISTIAN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council
- expected date of next election:
- November 2028
Legislative branch
- legislature name:
- Island Council
- legislative structure:
- unicameral
- number of seats:
- 10 (directly elected and appointed)
- electoral system:
- plurality/majority
- scope of elections:
- full renewal
- term in office:
- 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
- most recent election date:
- 6 November 2019
- parties elected and seats per party:
- independent (5)
- percentage of women in chamber:
- 60%
- expected date of next election:
- N/A
note: the Council includes 5 councilors, the mayor, and the deputy mayor (who are elected by popular vote) and 3 ex officio non-voting members -- the administrator, who serves as both the head of government and the representative of the governor of Pitcairn Islands, the governor, and the deputy governor
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- 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)
- judge selection and term of office:
- 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
- subordinate courts:
- Magistrate's Court
note: appeals beyond the Pitcairn Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
National holiday
Official birthday of King Charles III, usually celebrated the second Saturday in June (1948); Discovery Day (Pitcairn Day), 2 July (1767)
Flag
- 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
National anthem(s)
- title:
- "We From Pitcairn Island"
- lyrics/music:
- unknown/Frederick M. LEHMAN
- history:
- serves as a local anthem; _____
- title:
- "God Save the King"
- lyrics/music:
- unknown
- history:
- official anthem, as a UK overseas territory
Economy
8 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
Economic overview
- 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
Exports - commodities
fertilizers, sulfur, refined petroleum, excavation machinery, ethylene polymers (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports - commodities
construction vehicles, refined petroleum, beef, computers, other foods (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Exchange rates
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
4 fieldsTelephones - mobile cellular
No traditional public cellular network. Satellite-based internet (Starlink) and VoIP apps (WhatsApp, Viber) are available.
Broadcast media
satellite TV from Fiji-based Sky Pacific offering a wide range of international channels
Military and Security
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Pitcairn Islands.” The World Factbook 2025. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/pitcairn-islands.