Edward Payne, age 16, of Santa Rosa, Calif. for his question:

WHERE IS PITCAIRN ISLAND?

Pitcairn Island, made famous in 1790 because it was occupied by mutineers of the HMS Bounty accompanied by a group of Tahitian men and women, is located in the central South Pacific ocean, about midway between Australia and South America.

Only two square miles in size, it is a dependency of Great Britain. The island has fertile soil but no streams. Fruits, such as oranges and bananas and other crops, are grown in the subtropical climate.

The uninhabited Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by a British naval officer, Philip Carteret, and named for the sailor who first sighted it. The community of mutineers and Tahitians was not discovered until 1808 when American whalers visited the island. At that time only one of the British sailors was still alive.

In 1856, because of overpopulation, about 200 of the islanders were transferred at their own request to Norfolk Island. In 1970 Pitcairn was placed under the jurisdiction of the British high commissioner in New Zealand. Today its population is less than 100.