Related info and links: Pitcairn Islands

Pitcairn Island, approximately midway between Peru and New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean, was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.

Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific.

Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has reduced the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to fewer than 50 today.

The Pitcairn group comprises Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno islands.

Only Pitcairn island is inhabited, but it has no port or natural harbour; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore.

The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. 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.

English is the official language. Pitcairnese (a mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect) is also spoken.

Source: CIA World Factbook