The

Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...

, a

group of islands An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the List of islands ...

in the southern Pacific Ocean, are the last remaining

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

in Oceania. Settled by

mutineers Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among memb ...

from the in 1790, the island was effectively

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

until 1898, when it was annexed by the United Kingdom and placed under the jurisdiction of the governor of Fiji. When

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

became independent in 1970, Pitcairn Island was placed under the authority of the British high commissioner (ambassador) to New Zealand. In practice, partly due to its isolation, Pitcairn has effectively had internal self-government throughout this period. From 1790 to 1829, the local head of government was known simply as the leader. They had a president from 1832 to 1838, and a magistrate from that time until 1999, except for an eleven-year gap from 1893 to 1904, when the chief official was the president of the Council. In 1999, the magistrate's non-judicial functions were transferred to the new office of mayor.

Local heads of government (1790–present)

Colonial governors (1898–present)

''See separate articles:'' * Governors of Fiji (1898–1970) * British High Commissioners to New Zealand (1970–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rulers of the Pitcairn Islands

Pitcairn Island Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''. Geography The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff coastline. Unlike many other ...

Government of the Pitcairn Islands Pitcairn Islands politicians Pitcairn Islands-related lists 1790 establishments in the Pitcairn Islands

Local heads of government (1790–present)

Colonial governors (1898–present)

See also

References