THE world’s ‘most remote island’ is home to just 35 people, and is 336 miles away from the nearest inhabited location.
There is no airport on the island, which can only be reached by a two day boat trip.
Pitcairn is home to just 35 people[/caption]
The stunning island is a British Overseas Territory[/caption]
The island was formed from a volcano[/caption]
Pitcairn, is the only inhabited part of the Pitcairn islands, which also consists of islands named Henderson, Ducie and Oeno.
The island was formed from a volcano, with the island’s main settlement, Adamstown, lying within the volcanic basin.
Population descended from British mutineers
Those who live on the island are descended from nine British HMS Bounty Mutineers and 12 Tahitian women.
The island is a British Overseas Territory, meaning that King Charles III is the monarch, despite the UK being 8,942 miles away.
Neither the King or his mother, the late Queen, have ever visited the island; however, Prince Philip stopped at the tiny settlement in 1971 whilst voyaging on the royal yacht Britannia.
Members of the community rely on making money from honey, tourism and agriculture, with the New Zealand dollar used as the main currency.
Four times a year, supply ships arrive from New Zealand, which 3,106 miles away from New Zealand from the islands.
World heritage site
In 1988, the island was, which is home to a wide variety of birds nad marine life, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Polynesians were the first to settle on the islands, but they had abandoned them by the time Europeans arrived in the 1600s.
Portuguese sailor Pedro Fernandes de Queirós was the first European to discover the island in 1606.
It was then discovered again by a 15-year-old crew member of the British warship HMS Swallow in 1767, Robert Pitcairn, whom the islands are named after.
In 1790, nine mutineers from HMS Bounty and 17 native Tahitians set fire to the boat and settled on the islands.
The boat can still be seen underwater in Bounty Bay, and these are the settlers that today’s residents are all descended from.
They lived in isolation on the island for 20 years, until Pitcairn was discovered by American whalers in 1808.
Many have chosen to leave Pitcairn for New Zealand[/caption]
Smallest territory in the world
Soon after this, other ships arrived on the island, and brought the settlers supplies from Britain.
During this period, the population began to grow, with ships travelling between the US and Australia using the island as a port call.
Pitcairn saw a peak population of 233, but this has declined over time, with many choosing to migrate to New Zealand.
As of 2023, there were just 35 residents on the island, making it the the smallest territory in the world in terms of permanent resident population.
There are two official languages spoken in Pitcairn, English and Piktern, which is a mix of English and Tahitian.
Despite its tiny population, the island still has a church, a tennis court and a museum, which displays artefacts from the HMS Bounty.
Cruise ships often visit the island, which today is governed by Ioan Thomas, Britain’s High Commissioner to New Zealand.
Life on Pitcairn may sound peaceful, but the island’s immigration website reveals: “Life on Pitcairn will not be for everyone.
“The island’s isolation and small size at times make life on Pitcairn physically demanding and challenging.
“Residents need to be able to turn their hand to a wide range of tasks, and handle difficulties with pragmatism and creativity.”
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E5Y5W0 Pitcairn Island South Pacific[/caption]
