Pitcairn: the weirdest island in Great Britain, where people serve the labor service

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Despite the fact that the era of slavery and serfdom is long over, there is an unusual island on the globe, whose inhabitants are required to serve labor. And this island belongs not to a poor state, lost in the vastness of the ocean, but Britain. Today we will talk about the unusual island of Pitcairn.

Pitcairn: the strangest island in the UK where people are serving

The island of Pitcairn is the only inhabited island from the entire overseas territory of Great Britain. The Pitcairn Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, south of the equator and include 5 islands that are of volcanic and coral origin.

Pitcairn Island, an area of 4.6 sq. Km. km was uninhabited until its settling by European navigators in 1790. Although, according to research conducted, from the 11th to the 15th century the island was inhabited by Polynesians, but they for some reason left Pitcairn before the arrival of sailors. And the ancestors of modern inhabitants of Pitcairn were on the island in very unusual circumstances.

Pitcairn: the strangest island in the UK where people are serving

Three-masted ship" Bounty ", owned by England, traveled from the island of Tahiti in the direction of Jamaica, when a rebellion broke out on its board. The captain and part of his loyal crew of seamen were landed in a boat and expelled from the ship, and the rebels continued their way to the Bounty. Fletcher Christian, who led the revolt, decided to establish a colony on one of the Pacific islands that they would meet along the way, but most of the sailors wanted to return to the island of Tahiti. The ship sailed to Tahiti, along the way they stopped on another island, where they were joined by several men and women of the Tahitians. After almost a year of wandering and unsuccessful attempts to found a colony, the remaining members of the Bounty crew and several local residents found themselves on the island of Pitcairn.

The island, whose location was mistakenly marked on the map, was far from trade routes, was little known and uninhabited. In addition, it did not have a convenient bay for disembarkation, so it served as an ideal refuge for the rebels. Fletcher Christian and his associates rightly believed that they would be looking for English justice, so they wanted to settle as far as possible.

Pitcairn: the strangest island of Great Britain, where people are serving a labor service.

p>As a result of this adventurous operation in the winter of 1790 on the island of Pitcairn were 9 men of the British, and also 18 natives - 12 women and 6 men. But the peace on the island did not last long: among settlers, quarrels and armed conflicts broke out several times. Be that as it may, the population of the island grew, and in 1838 Pitcairn was declared a colony of Great Britain.

The island flourished in the 1915-1940s, when the island's population exceeded 200 people and flourished through maritime trade. Because of overpopulation, some people even had to be relocated to other islands.

Pitcairn: the strangest island in the UK where people are serving

But today life on the island of Pitcairn is not so rosy, there live no more than 50 people who are mainly engaged in fishing and farming. The younger generation prefers to move to Australia or New Zealand, as their homeland has little prospect of finding a good job. Despite the warm sea, perfect climate and picturesque nature, tourism on the island is poorly developed: its remoteness and lack of infrastructure are affected. The economic situation is so bleak that all the able-bodied population of the island between the ages of 16 and 65 is compulsorily involved in public works.

Pitcairn: The Strangest Island in Great Britain, Where People Are Serving