aim on his behalf; maritime delimitation negotiations continue
with Palau
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 60,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu
Sayyaf groups) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in
recent years; longstanding marijuana producer
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Pitcairn Islands
Introduction Pitcairn Islands
Background:
Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled
in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.
Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in
1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South
Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the
population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.
Geography Pitcairn Islands
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:
Oceania
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:
0 km
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
note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been
discovered offshore
Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
other: NA%
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)
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
People Pitcairn Islands
Population:
45 (July
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