Pitcairn Islands
Island or atoll Type Land area ( km ) Total area ( km ) Pop . July 2011
Ducie Island Atoll 0.7 3.9 0
Henderson Island Uplifted coral island 37.3 37.3 0
Oeno Island Atoll 0.65 16.65 0
Pitcairn Island Volcanic island 4.6 4.6 68
Pitcairn Islands ( all islands ) - 43.25 62.45 68
Geography
Main article : Geography of the Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands form the southeasternmost extension of the geological archipelago of the Tuamotus of French Polynesia , and consist of four islands : Pitcairn Island , Oeno Island ( atoll with five islets , one of which is Sandy Island ) , Henderson Island and Ducie Island ( atoll with four islets ) . The Pitcairn Islands were formed by a centre of upwelling magma called the Pitcairn hotspot . The only permanently inhabited island , Pitcairn , is accessible only by boat through Bounty Bay . Henderson Island , covering about 86% of the territory 's total land area and supporting a rich variety of animals in its nearly inaccessible interior , is also capable of supporting a small human population despite its scarce fresh water , but access is difficult , owing to its outer shores being steep limestone cliffs covered by sharp coral . In 1988 , this island was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site . [ 39 ] The other islands are at a distance of more than 100 km ( 62 mi ) and are not habitable .
The Pitcairn Islands (/ˈpɪtkɛərn/; 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 proper, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno - are scattered across several hundred miles of ocean and have a combined land area of about 18 square miles (47 km2). Henderson Island accounts for 86% of the land area, but only Pitcairn Island is inhabited. The nearest places are Mangareva (of French Polynesia) to the west and Easter Island to the east. Pitcairn is the least populous national jurisdiction in the world. The Pitcairn Islanders are a biracial ethnic group descended mostly from nine Bounty mutineers and the handful of Tahitians who accompanied them, an event that has been retold in many books and films. This history is still apparent in the surnames of many of the islanders. As of 2014, there were approximately 50 permanent inhabitants, originating from four main families.