Even for a blog of this caliber, it can be difficult to come up with quality, original posts day after day, so tonight (this morning?), I will share with you something I discovered while Wikipedia-ing a couple of weeks ago.
There lies, in the middle of the Pacific, a small archipelago called the Pitcairn Islands. It consists of four islands, only one of which is inhabited and which spans only 5 square km in area. This British-owned territory is the least populated jurisdiction in the world, with a population of around 50.
The most remarkable thing about the place is that the population is almost entirely descended from a group of Brits and Tahitians that arrived there via a mutineed British ship a few hundred years ago. They speak two languages - English and Pitkern, which is a blend of English and Tahitian. They have survived for centuries largely by subsistence farming and fishing and by selling stamps and crafts to passing ships.
The only way to predictably access this incredibly remote place is to fly to Tahiti, then fly to some other island in the French Polynesia, and then take a 30 hour boat ride that runs once every several months the rest of the way to Pitcairn. Otherwise, the inhabitants must depend on ships that pass by infrequently if they want to leave this small spit of land.
What's most remarkable about this place is, despite its inaccessibility, the place is rather modernized. They have satellite telephone and Internet, have TV sets for DVDs and the like, and provide public education for all children until age 15.
Despite the fact this this doesn't seem an uncomfortable place to live, I still can't figure out while anyone would choose to stay there. People clearly have the option and means to leave, since the population has dropped from about 200 in the 1930's to its current level. Why forego a modern lifestyle with its connections, appliances, and transportation to remain on a small rock in the middle of the ocean?
Or maybe the ones who have stayed have it right. Perhaps they are enjoying an island paradise free of distractions and pollution while we are the ones who are suffering. But...maybe the reason that some of them stay is more sinister: a history of the sexual abuse of girls on the island was brought to light when a British offical visiting the island a few years ago made the discovery. A 2004 trial sent six Pitcairn men to prison until the end of this year. Creepy.
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2 comments:
My guess is people continue living there because nothing beats living in your own place where there's no such thing as anyone considering you an outsider/immigrant, etc.
Nevertheless 6 men out of a population of 50 (or whatever it was in 2004) is certainly something to be creeped out about.
So you're pretty much saying "choose between going out into the world with all its problems, competition, and stress, or choose to remain on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere where you only have to stay in school till your 15" Not such a hard choice.
Plus, I'm sure alot of people travel out and see the world, they just don't move there permanently, and I don't blame them. Imagine the great sense of community they must have. Though it must suck trying to find love and avoid intermarriage in a population of 50though.
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