Background: 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.

Area
Total: 47 km²
Land: 47 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about three-tenths the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 51 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 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
Highest point: Palwala Valley Point on Big Ridge 347 m
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)
Forest: 74.5% (2022 est.)
Other: 25.5% (2022 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

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

Population
Total: 50 (2025 est.)
Distribution: a handful of inhabitants, most residing near the village of Adamstown
Growth rate: 0% (2014 est.)

Languages: English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Religions: Seventh Day Adventist 100%

Population growth rate: 0% (2014 est.)

Population distribution: a handful of inhabitants, most residing near the village of Adamstown

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

Legal system: local island by-laws

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 2,028

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

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)

National anthem
Title: 'God Save the King'
Lyrics/music: unknown
History: official anthem, as a UK overseas territory

Industries: postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey

Exports
Commodities: fertilizers, sulfur, refined petroleum, excavation machinery, ethylene polymers (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports
Commodities: construction vehicles, refined petroleum, beef, computers, other foods (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Internet
Users percent of population: 96.2% (2021 est.)