Pitcairn Islands
Pitkern Ailen Pitcairn Islands
Represented by Governor General Victoria Treadell
The Pitcairn Islands (English: Pitcairn Islands; Pitkern: Pitkern Ailen ) are an isolated group of islands located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, which belongs administratively to the British overseas territories. Only the second largest island of Pitcairn is inhabited.
History
The previously estimated maximum of 100 Polynesians inhabited island has been studies of Australian archaeologists Marshall Weisler According colonized by Mangareva from about the year 800. She was, despite their remoteness part of an extensive südostpolynesischen exchange system, which also belonged to Henderson, and delivered volcanic glasses, which served as tools for their sharp edges, and fine-grained basalt. Buildings are not known from this period. In 1500, the exchange system broke probably together because of overpopulation and deforestation Mangarevas. The inhabitants of both islands are no longer permitted large canoes. The population on Pitcairn survived probably still a few generations. The deserted island was discovered on July 2, 1767 by the British midshipman Robert Pitcairn, son of naval officer John Pitcairn.
The Anglo- Tahitian was settled on 15 January 1790. On April 28, 1789 mutinied parts of the ship's crew and Bounty took command. The mutineers returned to Tahiti, where previously had spent a couple of months the ship. For fear of being arrested, did not want to stay on Tahiti their leader Fletcher Christian. After an unsuccessful attempt to settle on Tubuai, they returned again. Secretly in the night left Christian with only eight men, about a third of the mutineers, Tahiti again. Of the natives, twelve women and six men joined. The plan was to find an uninhabited island to destroy the ship and spend the rest of his life there, without ever being seen again by Europeans.
After the Cook, Tonga and east Fiji Islands had been scoured in vain for a place to stay for two months, Christian fell to his present description of Pitcairn by Captain Carteret, who was present at the discovery in 1767, but the island could not enter because of violent surf. She promised the survival ideal conditions: serving as a source of fresh water river and fertile vegetation. In addition, the maps of the time were very inaccurate, it therefore, highly unlikely that a British ship would find the island and the mutineers arrested, which would have meant certain death.
Pitcairn is a British Crown Colony since 1838. At the behest of the British Consul in Tahiti, RT Simons, sailed a boat from Pitcairn in 1902 after Oeno, Henderson and Ducie in order to annex the islands of the British Empire.
In the 1980s, an American multimillionaire tried to purchase the islands by the United Kingdom in order to use them for tourism, so inter alia, an airfield on Henderson to be built. Rather strange to call the 1992 proclaimed project of a micro- nation " Principality of Freedonia ," the vain endeavor to the Pitcairn Islands abzukaufen the United Kingdom.
Population
Pitcairn's inhabitants are mostly descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Polynesian wives. The islands of Oeno, Henderson and Ducie are uninhabited.
" Capital" of the Pitcairn Islands Adamstown, with around 40 inhabitants is the second smallest capital in the world. The place is named after the last surviving Bounty mutineer John Adams. As late as 1948 had Adamstown 220 inhabitants, but has been falling for decades, the population continuously, as younger, well-educated islanders migrate due to lack of career prospects mainly to New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Geography
The archipelago consists of four islands:
* including lagoons of the atolls
Policy
The Pitcairn Islands are the last remaining British overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean.
Head of state Pitcairn Islands is the British Queen, represented by the British governor in New Zealand. The Pitcairn Islands are semi-autonomous, the interests of the island's population represents one every three years elected magistrate, which is headed by a directly elected mayor.
Infrastructure
Pitcairn now has a modern means of communication, including satellite telephone and e- mail traffic. However, the short-wave radio communication is ( with amateur radio stations around the world) continues to be very popular. Adamstown, there is a radio station for communication with the supply vessels. Satellite antennas enable the reception of Australian and New Zealand television and radio programs. Public funds a satellite internet connection is financed, to which all households can connect.