The Pitcairn Islands
The Pitcairn Islands are group of four separate volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. Farther from any continent than any other inhabited island the group is consists of: Pitcairn (main island), Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands. Became the first British Pacific island colony in 1838, it is most isolated British dependency with a sovereign jurisdiction. It’s also the tiniest one on earth, with only 48 residents from 9 original families. It is an extremely isolated – roughly 2170km of Tahiti, just over 6600km from Panama and are accessible only via a 30 hour boat ride from Mangareva Island.
Henderson Island is the largest island and it is one of the few atolls in the world whose ecology has been practically untouched by a human presence. Because of its isolated location, the island provides the ideal context for studying the dynamics of insular evolution and natural selection. It is particularly notable for the 10 plants and four land birds that are endemic to the island.
Most of Henderson Island is densely vegetated with pristine forest and thick scrub that has been undisturbed for the last 400 years. There are very few non-native plant species on the island. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with several endangered bird species.
