Pitcairn Islands

Pitcairn Islands represents the extreme lower bound of what constitutes a territory: approximately 50 residents on a 47 km² volcanic island 5,000 km from New Zealand, accessible only by boat from Mangareva in French Polynesia. The population consists largely of descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers who arrived in 1790, creating one of the world's most isolated genetic and cultural populations. The British Overseas Territory functions on subsistence fishing, honey production (Pitcairn's bees remain disease-free like Niue's), and handicrafts sold to occasional cruise ship visitors.

The biological parallel is a relict population—a species surviving in a fragment of former range, too small for genetic diversity but protected by isolation from competition. Pitcairn has no airport, hospital, or regular shipping service. The UK government subsidizes essential services, making the territory dependent on metropolitan support for viability. Population has declined from over 200 in the 1930s to roughly 50 today, with young residents leaving for education or employment and rarely returning.

Pitcairn's economy generates minimal GDP—perhaps a few hundred thousand dollars annually from postage stamps, honey, and tourist curios. The territory demonstrates carrying capacity at its limit: the island can sustain a small population indefinitely through fishing and agriculture, but cannot provide the economic opportunities that prevent emigration. Like island endemic species facing extinction, Pitcairn's survival depends on active intervention—either continued UK subsidy or transformative connectivity that seems unlikely given the extreme isolation.