Pitcairn Island. British Overseas Territory in the Pacific

Pitcairn is not only one island. This is the name of the overseas territory of Great Britain in the Pacific Ocean, which consists of as many as five islands. This place is one of the most inaccessible on the whole planet and remains the only UK colony (since 1838) to date. Let's take a closer look at this little-known corner of the Earth for tourists.

Historical reference

The overseas territory of Great Britain was named the Pitcairn Islands in honor of the son of a sailor, the first to notice an uninhabited land with wonderful nature. It happened on July 2, 1767, when the sloop "Swallow" of the British navigator Philip Carteret made his journey.

Pitcairn was settled only twenty-three years later. The Bounty vessel transported seedlings of breadfruit from Tahiti to the islands of the Caribbean archipelago. They demanded a large amount of water, otherwise they would have disappeared. In order not to lose the load, they cut the ration of the team. This led to a riot, as a result of which eighteen members of the ship's crew, along with the captain, were landed on the longboat. The remaining passengers returned to Tahiti.

But being there for a long time was forbidden. In order not to fall out of favor with the queen of that time, the head of the rebels Christian Fletcher, together with seven crew members, six Tahitian servants and eleven Tahitian women, went to the unpopulated lands of Pitcairn.

Then, according to legend, a bloody struggle for women followed, at the end of which there was only one man left - John Adams. He became the father to all later born children.

Location and composition of the archipelago

The home of the Pitcairn Archipelago is the South Pacific. And as mentioned above, it consists of five islands: Ducie, Oeno, Sandy, Pitcairn and Henderson.

This group is located 2 thousand 170 kilometers from Tahiti and 6 thousand 600 kilometers from Panama.

Of this group, Henderson Island is the largest. Its area is 37 square meters. At the same time, the size of the populated Pitcairn is 5 square meters, and the size of the unoccupied Ducie, Oeno, and Sandy is not more than 0.7 square meters.

Why, one wonders, such a large area of ​​Henderson has not yet been populated? The answer is simple - there is no fresh water supply, unlike the island of Pitcairn.

Climate

The type of climate on the island is marine subtropical. The rainy season here begins in November and ends only in March. At the same time typhoons often fall on the archipelago. The driest months, most suitable for tourist visits, are July and August. Then the average air temperature is around + 20 ° C. In winter, the air warms up to +25 ... + 30 ° C. Based on this, in Pitcairn, the winter period begins in August, and the summer one in February.

The total rainfall for the year is 1200-1500 millimeters.

Population

The demographic peak is considered to be 1935, when 250 people lived on the island. From that moment on, their numbers gradually decreased:

• from 1940 to 1960 - from 163 people to 126;
• from 1970 to 1990 - from 95 people to 59;
• in 1995, the population was 55 people;
• in 2000 - 51 people;
• in 2005 - 63 people;
• in 2010 - 64 people.

Based on this disappointing trend, the island authorities (the mayor and the island council) have developed a plan aimed at increasing the flow of migrants to Pitcairn.

Despite this, the current population of the island consists of 49 permanent residents.

They speak a special Pitcairn language, which is derived from the Tahitian and English of the XVIII century. The latter, in turn, is considered the official language.

The economic structure of the island

Due to its natural features, the soil of the island is very fertile and this allows residents to grow many types of vegetables and fruits. Among them are citrus fruits, bananas, pineapples, melons, onions, potatoes, cabbage, sugarcane and many legumes.

Barter is widespread on the territory of Pitcairn Island - the islanders exchange and pay with each other mined seafood and hand-grown products.

Trade outside the archipelago is complicated by the lack of an established transport infrastructure. Pitcairn Island has only a port at its disposal. But the construction of an airport has already been planned, which should develop a tourist destination. By the way, 80% of the island’s total income is already tourism.

The island’s infrastructure also includes several shops, a warehouse, an assembly hall, a library, a museum, and a medical center. Their working hours are, at best, three hours three days a week.

Electricity and high-speed Internet are working smoothly (excluding possible temporary malfunctions due to the typhoon).

The island also has its own church and local radio station.

Pitcairn Island Money

The official currency of the island of Pitcairn is the New Zealand dollar (NZ $), which is a bit strange, because the archipelago is part of the UK.

Payment methods in Pitcairn:

• cash;
• barter.

Paying with credit cards or tourist checks is almost impossible. And currency exchange is generally not possible, because there are no banking institutions and exchange offices on the island.

Pitcairn is also famous for its collectible coins, which have been minted since 1988. Their sale is also a significant income item. In ordinary circulation, coins are extremely rare.

Tourism

There are no hotels on the island. Tourists are delivered to the island of Pitcairn by about a dozen cruise ships, which are moored in the port for several hours. During this time, you can buy local food, souvenirs, collectible coins, spend time with local residents.

But this time is not enough for a full study of the history and culture of Pitcairn. Therefore, there are real travelers who stay on the island longer. You can get to the island like on a cruise ship with everyone, and with the help of private passenger ships and yachts. And for the night, the locals built and improved special autonomous houses, which are now rented to tourists for 70 New Zealand dollars. This price includes not only accommodation, but also food and Internet use.

Activities for travelers

If you want to come to Pitcairn just because of the beaches and swimming, then you are not here. There are practically no beach places on the island, and even there you can swim not far from the coast. Since the local current is very strong and unpredictable.

Almost the only place for a beach holiday is the St. Paul's Pool lagoon. Having overcome unsafe descent, you will get clean and calm water, in which you can even go diving.

When tired of swimming, try fishing. She is just wonderful here!

There are no restaurants on the island, so in the evenings you can prepare your catch and sit with a glass of juice together with friendly residents (because the majority of the population are Adventists, and they don’t welcome alcohol), listening to local stories and stories.

And if your trip falls on Saturday, then you will find yourself at an amazing event - a traditional dinner for the bucket, to which each resident brings his own dishes.

Nature

Since there are no entertainment facilities either, enjoy nature! Merge with her together. Where else if not here?

Awaken the ornithologist in yourself and start observing the birds. Pitcairn has become home to many species, for example, the Henderson family of herd flies (Porzana atra), Henderson's Lori hermit (Vini stepheni Vini stepheni), Henderson’s reeds (Acrocephalus taiti), Henderson’s fruit dove (Ptilinopus insularis, and others).

If you don’t like the birds, study the flora. It is rich in shrubbery and woody plants. Also, there are many coconut palms, bananas and tangerines. Even the pines found a place for themselves here.

In the end, take a walk and enjoy every moment. Moreover, there are signs on each fork. And if you're lucky, then during the next walk on your way you will meet the amazing Galapagos tortoise Mrs. T, who was brought here back in the thirties of the twentieth century.

And when you fully get acquainted with Pitcairn, then ask the locals to take you to the neighboring island of Henderson. The nature there is no less amazing.

Despite the fact that it is more difficult to get to the island than to Greece, for example, it is worth a visit to Pitcairn. At least in order to find out that heaven exists on earth! And for a great holiday, it is not necessary to have typical attractions. They can be fabulous views and the atmosphere itself.