Washington, DC (USA) - December 7, 1995
By far, the prize for the most unlikely place on the Internet has to be the Pitcairn Island home page. Pitcairn Island (you mean you never heard of it?) was settled by Fletcher Christian and the mutineers of the HMS Bounty in 1789, along with some women from Tahiti. It has a population of 73 (according to the CIA) or about 50 (the islanders themselves). It is halfway between Chile and New Zealand in the Pacific, which is right near the middle of nowhere.
But how many sites are available where you can get to know the entire population of a geographic location? Names, nicknames, ages, ancestry and some biographical material are offered for all island residents. Read about Kari, the woman who left Norway to move to Pitcairn. Or Tom, the radio operator who keeps Pitcairn tied in with the rest of the world. If you're one of the 5.5 billion people who don't speak the language (a patois of Tahitian and English), then take a flip through a phrasebook and learn to talk like a native.
Want to see the island? It's got a collection of photos. The breaking news? Read a selection of articles from the monthly newspaper. Don't know Adamstown from Bane's Edge? Check out the detailed maps and read the history of each location on this island the size of Southeast Washington.
The site is very well linked to the stories and biographies of the mutineers and how the island developed. Even now, there is no live television or direct phone link. The island relies on shortwave radio and postal service, which arrives four times per year. The page itself is maintained by a Minnesota genealogist, Paul Lareau, who has had an interest in the island since he was 10. It's a serious pain to travel there (and you have to apply to the island council to do so), so stop by for a virtual tour.