Summary

The tropical island of Pitcairn was rich in resources. It was the island that the mutineers of the HMS Bounty fled to in 1790. It was empty and abandoned – just what the mutineers needed for a hiding place. The men found evidence of an ancient Polynesian culture that existed on the island. Pitcairn and Henderson are two islands that are the least accessible in the world. Henderson apparently was also home to an ancient society.

Archaeologists have determined that the end of these societies was due in large part to environmental collapse. The island of Mangareva the trading partner of the islands was located hundreds of miles away. Its environmental collapse was the cause of the demise of the other two islands. These three islands are the only islands in Southeast Polynesia that are inhabitable. The three...