The Pitcairn Islands are a group of four islands in the south Pacific Ocean: the group comprises Pitcairn Island (a volcanic island), Henderson Island (an uplifted coral island), and two coral atolls, Oeno Island and Ducie Island.

The only inhabited island, Pitcairn, has an area of and a population density of ; it is only accessible by boat through Bounty Bay. The other islands are at a distance of more than .

Location

The Pitcairn Islands as a group of islands in Oceania:() Pitcairn Island (main island) () Henderson Island () Ducie Island () Oeno Island ()

Situated in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Peru to New Zealand, they are one of the most remote sites of human habitation on Earth.

The only inhabited island, Pitcairn, is at 25.04 south, 130.06 west. Pitcairn is about southeast of Tahiti, from Auckland, New Zealand, and over from Panama.

Area

Total: Land: Water:

Pitcairn Island is about long and wide. This is about of the size of Washington, DC.

Land boundaries

Coastline

Maritime claims Exclusive economic zone:

Territorial sea:

Climate The Pitcairn Islands have a maritime tropical rainforest climate (Af according to the Köppen climate classification), with the climate being warm and humid year-round, with no dry season. The warmest month in Adamstown is February, with a mean of , while the coolest month is August, with a mean of . The highest temperature recorded was during March. Because of its maritime location, the temperature has never dropped below . Adamstown receives of rainfall annually, with the rain being evenly distributed across the year. The climate of the Pitcairn Islands is modified by southeast trade winds.

Terrain

The Pitcairn Islands have a rugged terrain caused by volcanic formation, with a rocky coastline and cliffs.

Elevation extremes Lowest point: Pacific Ocean coastline 0 m (sea level) Highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge

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 Nancy Stone

References

External links Map of Pitcairn showing place names Map showing location of the Pitcairn Islands with respect to other island groups and to continents

pl:Pitcairn#Geografia