Adamstown Travel Guide, Pitcairn

Adamstown Travel Guide – The World’s Smallest Capital

This Adamstown travel-guide will give you all the essential information you need when travelling on the autonomous territory of the Pitcairn Islands, a British governed state that has a total population of 48. It is made up of four islands out of which the only inhabited one is Pitcairn, and all the inhabitants formally live in the capital, Adamstown. Their daily activities consist of hunting and fruit picking and the community they make is recorded officially as the world’s smallest capital. The island can only be reached by boat or by plane, so if you’re planning a trip there you should make sure you have your return secured and organized, otherwise you might end up stuck on the island for weeks or even months.

Adamstown Travel Guide – Key Facts and Numbers

The inhabitants of the island rely on subsistent farming, fishing and handicrafts for their economy and they also sell collector postal stamps to passing ships. Electricity is generated by diesel motors and the official recorded work force is 15 men and women. They speak Pitkern, a Creole language that mixes English and Tahitian elements. Because of the scarce population, births are quite rare and 2003 witnessed the first baby born on the island since 1986. There are seven children and one school on the island and they are all given compulsory education. Trades on the island are made with New Zeeland dollars and there is a very strict moral code that doesn’t allow public display of affection and alcohol consumption. In order to drink alcohol the inhabitants have to buy a six month license that allows them to buy and consume alcohol, but since 2009 the tourists don’t fall under the same regulations anymore.

Adamstown Travel Guide – Transport and Communication

Transportation has always been a problem on the island, as the terrain is very steep and doesn’t allow for planes to land properly or for roads and cars. There is just one 6.4 kilometer road and walking has been the best way of getting around since the island was inhabited. ATVs have recently become the most popular means of transportation but there still are some areas that are too rocky or muddy to have access to. Paradoxically or not, the island’s communication is thriving: there is a wireless internet connection, a telephone line and satellite TV. There is one single pay phone on the island and walkie-talkie radios are used to communicate in and outside the island. Televisions are mainly used for watching videos or DVDs, as there is no TV broadcast, but some of the locals have installed satellite dishes and can watch foreign TV programs. The internet connection is sponsored by the government and, as all Adamstown travel-guides will point out, it is available in every house on the island.