Henderson Island (Pitcairn Islands)

Henderson Island (Pitcairn Islands)

Henderson Island (formerly also San João Baptista and Elizabeth Island) is an uninhabited raised coral atoll in the south Pacific Ocean, that in 1902 was annexed to the Pitcairn Islands colony, a South Pacific Dependent Territory of the United Kingdom. Measuring 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) long and 5.1 kilometres (3.2 mi) wide, it has an area of 37.3 square kilometres (14.4 sq mi) and is located 193 kilometres (120 mi) northeast of Pitcairn Island at 24°22′01″S 128°18′57″W / 24.36694°S 128.31583°W / -24.36694; -128.31583. The island was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1988. It is unsuitable for agriculture and has little fresh water. There are three beaches on the northern end and the remaining coast comprises steep, mostly undercut, cliffs up to 15 metres (49 ft) in height.