Geography of the Pitcairn Islands

The Pitcairn Islands consist of four islands: Pitcairn Island (a volcanic high island), Henderson Island (an uplifted coral island), and two coral atolls, Oeno Island and Ducie Island

Map of Pitcairn Islands.

The only inhabited island, Pitcairn, has an area of 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) and a population density of 10/km2 (26/sq mi); it is only accessible by boat through Bounty Bay. The other islands are at a distance of more than 100 km (62 mi).

Location
Pitcairn postage stamp, c.1940, with helpful map.

Pitcairn Islands as a group of islands (25°04′00″S 130°05′00″W)

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Peru to New Zealand, one of the most remote sites of human habitation on Earth.[1][2]

The inhabited island, Pitcairn, is at 25.04 south, 130.06 west. Pitcairn is about 2,170 kilometres (1,350 mi) southeast of Tahiti, 5,310 kilometres (3,300 mi) from Auckland, New Zealand, and over 6,600 kilometres (4,100 mi) from Panama.[3]

Area
Total: 47 km2 (18 sq mi)
Land: 47 km2 (18 sq mi)
Water: 0 km2 (0 sq mi)

Pitcairn Island is about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) long and 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) wide.[3] This is about ​3⁄10 of the size of Washington, DC.

Land boundaries

1 km (0.62 mi)

Coastline

51 km (32 mi)

Maritime claims

Exclusive economic zone: 836,000 km2 (323,000 sq mi)
Territorial sea: 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi)

Climate

Tropical, hot, humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)

Terrain
Geodesy Collection on Pitcairn Island

Rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

Elevation extremes

Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m (1,138 ft)

Natural resources

Miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish
Note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore

Natural hazards

Tropical Cyclones (especially November to May)

Environment – current issues

Deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)

Maps

Worldwide map services show very little detail of the islands, and are even of limited use to show the location of them with respect to each other and to other islands, because they are so small and far apart. However, Mapquest zoom level 1 is a suitable map to see the location between Peru and New Zealand.

For the location with respect to French Polynesia, see the inset of Image:French Polynesia map.jpg.

See also

References
  1. Shadle, Robert (1996). Historical Dictionary of the British Empire. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 890. ISBN 978-0-313-29367-2. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  2. Ntumy, Michael A. (1993). South Pacific islands legal systems. University of Hawaii Press. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-8248-1438-0. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  3. "Home." Government of the Pitcairn Islands. Retrieved on October 31, 2011.

Wikimedia Atlas of the Pitcairn Islands

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