Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces

TOKELAU

 (territory of New Zealand) 

@Tokelau:Geography

 Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
 one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

 Map references: Oceania

 Area:
 total area: 10 sq km
 land area: 10 sq km
 comparative area: about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington,
 DC

 Land boundaries: 0 km

 Coastline: 101 km

 Maritime claims:
 exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
 territorial sea: 12 nm

 International disputes: none

 Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)

 Terrain: coral atolls enclosing large lagoons

 Natural resources: negligible

 Land use:
 arable land: 0%
 permanent crops: 0%
 meadows and pastures: 0%
 forest and woodland: 0%
 other: 100%

 Irrigated land: NA sq km

 Environment:
 current issues: very limited natural resources and overcrowding are
 contributing to emigration to New Zealand
 natural hazards: lies in Pacific typhoon belt
 international agreements: NA

@Tokelau:People

 Population: 1,503 (July 1995 est.)

 Age structure:
 0-14 years: NA
 15-64 years: NA
 65 years and over: NA

 Population growth rate: -1.3% (1995 est.)

 Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population

 Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population

 Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

 Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births

 Life expectancy at birth:
 total population: NA years
 male: NA years
 female: NA years

 Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman

 Nationality:
 noun: Tokelauan(s)
 adjective: Tokelauan

 Ethnic divisions: Polynesian

 Religions: Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%,
 other 2%
 note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on
 Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with the
 Congregational Christian Church predominant

 Languages: Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English

 Labor force: NA

@Tokelau:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: none
 conventional short form: Tokelau

 Digraph: TL

 Type: territory of New Zealand

 Capital: none; each atoll has its own administrative center

 Administrative divisions: none (territory of New Zealand)

 Independence: none (territory of New Zealand)

 National holiday: Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi
 established British sovereignty over New Zealand)

 Constitution: administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948, as
 amended in 1970

 Legal system: British and local statutes

 Suffrage: NA

 Executive branch:
 Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
 Head of Government: Administrator Graham ANSELL (since NA 1990;
 appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in New Zealand); Official
 Secretary Casimilo J. PEREZ (since NA), Office of Tokelau Affairs;
 Tokelau's governing Council will elect its first head of government

 Legislative branch: unicameral Council of Elders (Taupulega) on each
 atoll

 Judicial branch: High Court in Niue, Supreme Court in New Zealand

 Political parties and leaders: NA

 Member of: SPC, WHO (associate)

 Diplomatic representation in US: none (territory of New Zealand)

 US diplomatic representation: none (territory of New Zealand)

 Flag: the flag of New Zealand is used

Economy

 Overview: Tokelau's small size, isolation, and lack of resources
 greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the
 subsistence level. The people must rely on aid from New Zealand to
 maintain public services, annual aid being substantially greater than
 GDP. The principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra,
 postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also
 remitted to families from relatives in New Zealand.

 National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.5 million (1993
 est.)

 National product real growth rate: NA%

 National product per capita: $1,000 (1993 est.)

 Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

 Unemployment rate: NA%

 Budget:
 revenues: $430,830
 expenditures: $2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $37,300
 (1987 est.)

 Exports: $98,000 (f.o.b., 1983)
 commodities: stamps, copra, handicrafts
 partners: NZ

 Imports: $323,400 (c.i.f., 1983)
 commodities: foodstuffs, building materials, fuel
 partners: NZ

 External debt: $0

 Industrial production: growth rate NA%

 Electricity:
 capacity: 200 kW
 production: 300,000 kWh
 consumption per capita: 180 kWh (1990)

 Industries: small-scale enterprises for copra production, wood work,
 plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing

 Agriculture: coconuts, copra; basic subsistence crops - breadfruit,
 papaya, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats

 Economic aid:
 recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
 commitments (1970-89), $24 million

 Currency: 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents

 Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.5601 (January
 1995), 1.6844 (1994), 1.8495 (1993), 1.8584 (1992), l.7265 (1991),
 1.6750 (1990)

 Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

@Tokelau:Transportation

 Railroads: 0 km

 Highways:
 total: NA
 paved: NA
 unpaved: NA

 Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

 Merchant marine: none

 Airports: none; lagoon landings by amphibious aircraft from Western
 Samoa

@Tokelau:Communications

 Telephone system: NA telephones
 local: NA
 intercity: radiotelephone service between islands
 international: radiotelephone service to Western Samoa

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: NA
 televisions: NA

@Tokelau:Defense Forces

 Note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand


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