Henderson Island

Pacific Ocean, United Kingdom

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Henderson Island, a remote uninhabited raised coral atoll in the South Pacific Ocean under United Kingdom's Pitcairn Islands Overseas Territory, spans 37 square kilometers about 193 km northeast of Pitcairn Island with steep limestone cliffs up to 15 meters high, three northern beaches, and a rugged interior of jagged pinnacles and sinkholes rising from ocean depths over 3,500 meters.

Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988 for its pristine ecology, it hosts ten endemic plant species, four unique land birds, and rich marine life untouched by modern humans due to poor soil, scarce fresh water from a single brackish spring, and extreme isolation over 5,000 km from major landmasses.

Evidence of brief ancient Polynesian visits includes stone tools and fish hooks, but the island remains protected Crown land off-limits to tourists, accessible only by challenging voyages for scientific study of evolution and biodiversity.