Pitcairn Islands Geography:
Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
25 04 S, 130 06 W
Map references:
Area:
total:
47 sq km
land:
47 sq km
water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative:
About 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 0 km
border countries: NA
Coastline:
51 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
Tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain:
Rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m
Natural resources:
Miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
note: Manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Land use:
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA
other: NA
(1998)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
Typhoons (especially November to March)
Environment - current issues:
Deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Environment - international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography - Note:
Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore |
