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Archipelago

    United Kingdom and Pitcairn Islands

    25°04′S 130°06′W

    Pitcairn Islands

    Part of Polynesia

    The Pitcairn Islands ( PIT-kairn; Pitkern: Pitkern Ailen), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean.

    St. Pauls Point, Pitcairn Island
    St. Pauls Point, Pitcairn Island

    Makemake at German Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0

    Chart

    36 landforms

    Overview

    The Pitcairn Islands ( PIT-kairn; Pitkern: Pitkern Ailen), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four islands—Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno—are scattered across several hundred kilometres of ocean and have a combined land area of about 47 square kilometres (18 square miles). Henderson Island accounts for 86% of the land area, but only Pitcairn Island is inhabited. The inhabited islands nearest to the Pitcairn Islands are Mangareva (of French Polynesia), 688 km (428 miles) to the west, as well as Easter Island, 1,929 km (1199 miles) to the east. The Pitcairn Islanders are descended primarily from nine British HMS Bounty mutineers and twelve Tahitian women. In 2023, the territory had a permanent population of 35, making it the smallest territory in the world by number of permanent residents. Owing to the island's extreme isolation and small population, incidents of widespread sexual abuse went undetected until 1999, culminating in a high-profile sexual assault trial in 2004.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Census, cataloged

    • Major islands1
    • Minor islands4
    • Islets8
    • Rocks & skerries23

    Major islands

    1
    • Henderson Island

      Henderson Island

      Area
      43 km²
      High point
      40 m

      Henderson Island is an uninhabited island in the south Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Pitcairn Island Group, together with Pitcairn, Oeno, and Ducie Islands. 4 sq mi) and is located 193 km (104 nmi; 120 mi) northeast of Pitcairn Island, which is the only inhabited island of the group.

    Minor islands

    4

    Islets

    8
    • Pandora Island6 m · 0.07 km²
    • Westward Island5 m · 0.03 km²
    • Edwards Island7 m · 0.02 km²
    • Sandy Island6 m · 0.02 km²
    • Unnamed island0.3 ha
    • Unnamed island3 m · 0.2 ha
    • Unnamed island0.2 ha
    • Unnamed island0.1 ha

    Rocks & skerries

    23
    • Adam's Rock0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    • Big George<0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    • Tanema<0.1 ha
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha

    Figures

    Comparative heights

    Sea level100 m200 m300 m400 m347 mPitcairn40 mHenderson17 mOeno8 mAcadia7 mEdwards6 mPandora6 mSandy5 mDucie5 mWestward
    High points by island, metres above sea level.

    Islands by area

    0.000010.00010.0010.010.1110100Henderson: 43 km²HendersonPitcairn: 4 km²PitcairnAcadia: 0.79 km²AcadiaDucie: 0.7 km²DucieOeno: 0.66 km²OenoPandora: 0.07 km²PandoraWestward: 0.03 km²WestwardEdwards: 0.02 km²EdwardsSandy: 0.02 km²SandyUnnamed island: 0.3 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.2 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.2 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.1 haUnnamed islandAdam's Rock: 0.1 haAdam's RockUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandBig George: <0.1 haBig GeorgeUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandTanema: <0.1 haTanemaUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandNancy's Stone: <0.1 haNancy's StoneGinger Valley Stud: <0.1 haGinger Valley StudUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandGarden: <0.1 haGardenUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed island
    km², log scale
    Henderson Island43 km²
    Pitcairn Island4 km²
    Acadia Island0.79 km²
    Ducie Island0.7 km²
    Oeno Island0.66 km²
    Pandora Island0.07 km²
    Westward Island0.03 km²
    Edwards Island0.02 km²
    Sandy Island0.02 km²
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha
    Adam's Rock0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Big George<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Tanema<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Nancy's Stone<0.1 ha
    Ginger Valley Stud<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Garden<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha

    Groups within

    1

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Wikidata
    • Talus
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs