Pitcairn Islands

DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE PITCAIRN ISLANDS ARE?  OR BETTER YET, HAVE YOU EVER EVEN HEARD OF THEM?

Didn't think so...

Thank you Wikipedia for the description of the The Pitcairn Islands...

The Pitcairn Islands (/ˈpɪtkɛərn/;[5]Pitkern: Pitkern Ailen), officially named the Pitcairn Group of Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the last British Overseas Territory in the Pacific. The four islands – Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno – are spread over several hundred miles of ocean and have a total land area of about 47 square kilometres (18 sq mi). Only Pitcairn, the second largest island measuring about 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) from east to west, is inhabited.

The islands are inhabited by the descendants of the Bounty mutineers and the Tahitians (or Polynesians) who accompanied them, an event retold in numerous books and films. This history is still apparent in the surnames of many of the islanders. With only about 56 inhabitants, originating from four main families, Pitcairn is the least populous national jurisdiction in the world.

I am going to be honest with you....that brief description alone makes me want to visit!  Traveling to the foreign remote places just does something for me...I love being able to get away from society and really throw myself back into time and back into nature.

Apparently, to get to the Pitcairn Islands it takes total 3 planes and two boats to get there from Washington DC!

So what made me write about this small volcanic outcrop today?  Well, the UK government just created the world's largest single marine reserve in the Pacific and it is around the Pitcairn Islands.

I am a marine science major so this to me is huge! 

The reserve is 322,000 square miles and is nearly three and half times the size of the United Kingdom....simply put....its larger than the state of California!

The animals being protected in the reserve is a huge array of sharks, fish, corals, sea turtles, marine mammals, and other marine life.

 

Recently, commercial fishing vessels have been trying to fish these waters which could ultimately decimate this area that is known to have the cleanest and most biodiverse waters in the world.  That is why the 60 residents (yes 60) asked the UK government to assist them, there was no way they could take on the commercial fisherman themselves.  And even though it is a reserve, the locals are still allowed to fish and live the way they always have and that is to protect tradition.

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IS THERE TOURISM IN THE PITCAIRN ISLANDS???

Pitcairn welcome all visitors as it is a way to provide income and sustainability to the island.

One way to see the island is via cruise ship but keep in mind cruise ships only stop at Pitcairn for a few hours, and Landing on Pitcairn is dependent on the sea conditions and at the discretion of the ship's captain.

Here is a list of all the cruise ships that stop there.

I do have to warn you though, the actual traveling part to Pitcairn is a daunting one so make sure your stay is at least two weeks.  You will first have to travel to Tahiti and then travel on from there....so will all that said I suggest you taking a look at this travel guide before booking your trip with United Military Travel.

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VISIT THE PITCAIRN ISLANDS TODAY BY CALLING UNITED MILITARY TRAVEL AT 866-582-9579

OR

APPLY HERE FOR YOUR MILITARY TRAVEL CREDIT!