Tokelau




                                  Header


Affiliation:
     (territory of New Zealand)


                                 Geography


Location:
     Oceania, Polynesia, 3,750 km southwest of Honolulu in the South
     Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and 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


                                  People


Population:
     1,523 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     -1.35% (1994 est.)
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
Literacy:
total population:
     NA%
male:
     NA%
female:
     NA%
Labor force:
     NA


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
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 - exchange rate conversion - $1.4 million (1988 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     NA%
National product per capita:
     $800 (1988 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 - 1.7771 (January 1994), 1.8495
     (1993), 1.8584 (1992), l.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6708 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     1 April-31 March


                              Communications


Highways:
total:
     NA
paved:
     NA
unpaved:
     NA
Ports:
     none; offshore anchorage only




Airports:
     none; lagoon landings by amphibious aircraft from Western Samoa
Telecommunications:
     radiotelephone service between islands and to Western Samoa


                              Defense Forces


Note:
     defense is the responsibility of New Zealand