Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) | Tokelau (2008) | |
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 (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 42%
15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts | coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats; fish |
Airports | 1 (2006) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
- |
Area | total: 14 sq km
land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island |
total: 10 sq km
land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. | 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 | NA |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $430,800
expenditures: $2.8 million (1987 est.) |
Capital | name: West Island
geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 55 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
none; each atoll has its own administrative center
time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year | tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) |
Coastline | 26 km | 101 km |
Constitution | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 | administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970 |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tokelau |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | NA |
Dependency status | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on self governance in October 2007 did not produce the two-thirds majority vote necessary for changing the political status |
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 | Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island (Olohega) in its 2006 draft constitution |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | - |
Economy - overview | Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry. | 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 |
Electricity - production | - | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs | limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand |
Ethnic groups | Europeans, Cocos Malays | Polynesian |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) cabinet: NA 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); represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); New Zealand is represented by Administrator David PAYTON (since 17 October 2006)
head of government: Pio TUIA (since 23 February 2008); note - position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders) cabinet: the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau, consisting of three Faipule (village leaders) and three Pulenuku (village mayors), 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 | $0 |
Exports - commodities | copra | stamps, copra, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | Australia (2004) | New Zealand (2006) |
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 - composition by sector | - | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 S, 96 50 E | 9 00 S, 172 00 W |
Geography - note | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation | consists of three atolls (Atafu, Fakaofo, Nukunonu), each with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over 3 m above sea level |
Imports | $NA | $969,200 c.i.f. (2002) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs | foodstuffs, building materials, fuel |
Imports - partners | Australia (2004) | New Zealand (2006) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Industries | copra products and tourism | small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | NA% |
International organization participation | none | PIF (observer), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Irrigated land | NA | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court | Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau |
Labor force | NA | 440 (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | Malay (Cocos dialect), English | Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English |
Legal system | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws | New Zealand and local statutes |
Legislative branch | unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) |
unicameral General Fono (20 seats; based upon proportional representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; Atafu has seven seats, Fakaofo has seven seats, Nukunonu has six seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono
elections: last held 17-19 January 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: independents 20 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Literacy | NA | NA |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka | 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 | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
Nationality | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
noun: Tokelauan(s)
adjective: Tokelauan |
Natural hazards | cyclone season is October to April | lies in Pacific typhoon belt |
Natural resources | fish | NEGL |
Net migration rate | NA | NA |
Political parties and leaders | none | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
Population | 574 (July 2006 est.) | 1,449 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | -0.018% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA (one radio station provides service to all islands) (2002) |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | 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 | NA | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system
domestic: NA international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 INTELSAT satellite earth station |
general assessment: modern satellite-based communications system
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations |
Telephones - main lines in use | 287 (1992) | 300 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | note - analog cellular service available | - |
Television broadcast stations | NA | - |
Terrain | flat, low-lying coral atolls | low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons |
Total fertility rate | NA | NA |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2000 est.) | NA% |