Christmas Island (2001) | Tokelau (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
0-14 years: 42%
15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | NA | coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats |
Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | none; lagoon landings are possible by amphibious aircraft (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
- |
Area | total:
135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 10 sq km
land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. The phosphate mine, closed in 1987, was reopened four years later, but the need for an alternative industry has spurred investment in tourism. Old mining areas are being restored, and almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. | Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. |
Birth rate | NA births/1,000 population | NA births/1,000 population |
Budget | revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
revenues: $430,800
expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of $37,300 (1987 est.) |
Capital | The Settlement | none; each atoll has its own administrative center |
Climate | tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds | tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) |
Coastline | 138.9 km | 101 km |
Constitution | Christmas Island Act of 1958 | administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948, as amended in 1970 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tokelau |
Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | NA deaths/1,000 population |
Debt - external | $NA | $0 |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories | self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelauans are drafting a constitution and developing institutions and patterns of self-government as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | from New Zealand about $4 million annually |
Economy - overview | Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened by union workers. With the support of the government, Australian-based Casinos Austria International Ltd. built a $34 million casino on Christmas Island, which opened in 1993. As of yearend 1999, gaming facilities at the casino were temporarily closed but were expected to reopen in early 2000. Another economic prospect is the possible location of a space-launching site on the island. | Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public services, with 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. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | NA kWh |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand |
Ethnic groups | Chinese 61%, Malay 25%, European 11%, other 3%, no indigenous population | Polynesian |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996) | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.154 (2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator William Leonard TAYLOR (since 4 February 1999) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and New Zealand are represented by Administrator Neil WALTER (since NA 2002)
head of government: Aliki Faipule Kuresa NASAU (since 2004) note - position rotates annually among members of the cabinet cabinet: the Council of Faipule, consisting of three elected leaders - one from each atoll - functions as a cabinet elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the head of government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves a one-year term |
Exports | $NA | $98,000 f.o.b. (1983) |
Exports - commodities | phosphate | stamps, copra, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | Australia, NZ | New Zealand (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | the flag of New Zealand is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $NA | purchasing power parity - $1.5 million (1993 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $NA | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1993 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 10 30 S, 105 40 E | 9 00 S, 172 00 W |
Geography - note | located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean | consists of three atolls, each with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over three meters above sea level |
Highways | total:
140 km (not including 100 km that is maintained by private industry) paved: 30 km unpaved: 110 km (1999) |
total: NA km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | $NA | $323,000 c.i.f. (1983) |
Imports - commodities | consumer goods | foodstuffs, building materials, fuel |
Imports - partners | principally Australia | New Zealand (2000) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA |
Industries | tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) | small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing |
Infant mortality rate | NA deaths/1,000 live births | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | NA |
International organization participation | none | UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court | Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau |
Labor force | NA | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | tourism 400 people, mining 100 people (1995) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: NA% note: mainly tropical rainforest of which 60%-70% is in a national park |
arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
Languages | English, Chinese, Malay | Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English |
Legal system | under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law | New Zealand and local statutes |
Legislative branch | unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve one-year terms)
elections: last held NA December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2001) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 |
unicameral General Fono (48 seats; 15 members from each of the three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms and the 3 island village mayors [pulenuku]); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
NA years male: NA years female: NA years |
total population: NA years
male: 68 years female: 70 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | - | NA |
Location | Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia | Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Oceania |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
12 NM exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | none |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand |
National holiday | NA | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
Nationality | noun:
Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island |
noun: Tokelauan(s)
adjective: Tokelauan |
Natural hazards | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard | lies in Pacific typhoon belt |
Natural resources | phosphate | NEGL |
Net migration rate | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Political parties and leaders | none | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
Population | 2,771 (July 2001 est.) | 1,405 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 7.77% (2001 est.) | -0.01% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Flying Fish Cove | none; offshore anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: each atoll has a radio broadcast station of unknown type that broadcasts shipping and weather reports (1998) |
Radios | 1,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 24 km to serve phosphate mines | - |
Religions | Buddhist 55%, Christian 15%, Muslim 10%, other 20% (1991) | 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 |
Sex ratio | - | NA |
Suffrage | - | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service |
general assessment: adequate
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations, established in 1997 |
Telephones - main lines in use | NA | 300 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1999) | 0 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | - |
Terrain | steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau | low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons |
Total fertility rate | NA children born/woman | NA children born/woman |
Unemployment rate | NA% | NA |
Waterways | none | - |