Pitcairn Islands
British colony in Polynesia, 5,300 km / 3,300 mi northeast of New
Zealand
Area:
27 sq km/10 sq mi
Capital:
Adamstown
Physical:
Pitcairn Island (area 5 sq km/1.9 sq mi, length 4 km/2.4 mi, width
1.6 km/0.9 mi); the uninhabited Henderson Islands, an unspoiled
coral atoll with a rare ecology; and tiny Ducie and Oeno islands,
annexed by Britain in 1902
Products:
Coconuts, bananas, breadfruit, yams, pineapples, tomatoes, oranges,
and pineapples; souvenirs are sold to passing ships
Population:
(1994) 56
Language:
English
Government:
The governor is the British high commissioner in New Zealand
History:
Visited by British sailor Philip Carteret in 1767; settled in 1790
by nine mutineers from the British ship the Bounty together with
some Tahitians; their occupation remained unknown until 1808.
Facilities
Educational facilities exist, but there are no medical services or
any regular transport service between New Zealand and Pitcairn
Island. In 1949 the original Pitcairn Island Bible was returned
to Pitcairn Island by the Connecticut Historical Society, the
islanders being now all Seventh Day Adventists.
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