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Compare European Union (2004) - Tokelau (2003)

Compare European Union (2004) z Tokelau (2003)

 European Union (2004)Tokelau (2003)
 European UnionTokelau
Administrative divisions - none (territory of New Zealand)
Age structure 0-14 years: 16.3%


15-64 years: 67.2%


65 years and over: 16.6% (July 2004 est.)
0-14 years: 42%


15-64 years: 53%


65 years and over: 5% (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes, dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, fish coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats
Airports total: 3,130


with paved runways: 1,834


with unpaved runways: 1,296 (2003)
none; lagoon landings are possible by amphibious aircraft (2002)
Area total: 3,976,372 sq km total: 10 sq km


land: 10 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative less than one-half the size of the US about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Background Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all of Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.

The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since.

In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined to the EU, raising the membership total to 15.

A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except Great Britain, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - bringing the current membership to 25. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the 2003 Treaty of Nice set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, gives member states two years to ratify the document before it is scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006.

Despite the expansion of membership and functions, "Eurosceptics" in various countries have raised questions about the erosion of national cultures and the imposition of a flood of regulations from the EU capital in Brussels. Failure by member states to ratify the constitution or the inability of newcomer countries to meet euro currency standards might force a loosening of some EU agreements and perhaps lead to several levels of EU participation. These "tiers" might eventually range from an "inner" core of politically integrated countries to a looser "outer" economic association of members.
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 10.2 births/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget - revenues: $430,830


expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of $37,300 (1987 est.)
Capital Brussels, Belgium none; each atoll has its own administrative center
Climate cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)
Coastline 65,413.9 km 101 km
Constitution based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastrict) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2001; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gives member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it is scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006 administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948, as amended in 1970
Country name - conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Tokelau
Currency euro; pound (Cyprus), koruna (Czech Republic), krone (Denmark), kroon (Estonia), forint (Hungary), lat (Latvia), litas (Lithuania), lira (Malta), zloty (Poland), koruna (Slovakia), tolar (Slovenia), krona (Sweden), pound (UK) New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Death rate 10 deaths/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $NA $0
Dependency status - 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 chief of mission: Ambassador Rockwell SCHNABEL


embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat (Rue Zinner), B-1000 Brussels


mailing address: same as above


telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222


FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720
none (territory of New Zealand)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON


chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500


FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766
none (territory of New Zealand)
Disputes - international - none
Economic aid - donor $NA -
Economic aid - recipient - from New Zealand about $4 million annually
Economy - overview Domestically, the European Union attempts to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income (from $10,000 to $28,000) and historic national animosities, the European Community faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, both Germany and France since 2003 have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. In 2004, the EU admitted 10 central and eastern European countries that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the existing 15. The Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), an associated organization, introduced the euro as the common currency on 1 January 1999. The UK, Sweden, and Denmark do not now participate; the 10 new countries may choose to join the EMU when they meet its fiscal and monetary criteria and the member states so agree. 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 2.635 trillion kWh (2001) NA kWh
Electricity - exports 234.8 billion kWh (2001) -
Electricity - imports 245.7 billion kWh (2001) -
Electricity - production 2.822 trillion kWh (2001) NA kWh
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m


highest point: Mount Blanc, France/Italy 4,807 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
Environment - international agreements Hazardous Wastes, Biodiversity, Air Pollution, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94, Ozone Layer Protection, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Law of the Sea, Desertification, Climate Change; has signed, but not yet ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants -
Ethnic groups - Polynesian
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.154 (2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997)
Executive branch chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)


cabinet: European Commission (composed of 25 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas)


elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments; the president-designate then chooses the other Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; election last held 18 November 2004 (next to be held 2009)


election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by an approval vote of 449-149 with 82 abstentions


note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least twice a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and New Zealand are represented by Administrator Lindsay WATT (since NA March 1993)


head of government: Aliki Faipule Pio TUIA (since NA 2002)


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 6.429 million bbl/day (2001) $98,000 f.o.b. (1983)
Exports - commodities machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages. stamps, copra, handicrafts
Exports - partners NA NZ (2000)
Fiscal year NA 1 April - 31 March
Flag description on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed the flag of New Zealand is used
GDP purchasing power parity - $11.05 trillion (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $1.5 million (1993 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2.3%


industry: 28.3%


services: 69.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $25,700 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1993 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2004 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates - 9 00 S, 172 00 W
Geography - note - 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
Heliports 94 (2003) -
Highways total: 4,634,810 km (including 56,704 km of expressways)


paved: 4,161,318 km


unpaved: 473,492 km (1999-2000)
total: NA km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 25.2% (1995 est.)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports 16.97 million bbl/day (2001) $323,000 c.i.f. (1983)
Imports - commodities machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing foodstuffs, building materials, fuel
Imports - partners NA NZ (2000)
Independence 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force) none (territory of New Zealand)
Industrial production growth rate 0.8% (2004 est.) NA%
Industries among the world's largest and most technologically advanced industries, including iron and steel, aluminum, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, aircraft, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools, electronics, telecommunications equipment, fishing, food processing, furniture, paper, textiles and clothing, tourism small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing
Infant mortality rate total: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births (July 2004 est.) total: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2004 est.) NA%
International organization participation European Union: ASEAN (dialogue member), ARF (dialogue member), EBRD, IDA, OAS (observer), OECD, WTO


European Commission: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, G-10, NSG (observer), UN (observer)


European Central Bank: BIS


European Investment Bank: WADB (nonregional member)
SPC, UNESCO (associate), WHO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 115,807 sq km NA sq km
Judicial branch European Court of Justice (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied correctly) - 25 Justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 11 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 25 justices appointed for a six-year term Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau
Labor force 211.1 million NA
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 4.3%, industry 29%, services 66.8% (2000) -
Land boundaries total: 11,214.8 km


border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 246 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Romania 443 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 206 km, Ukraine 726 km


note: data for European Continent only
0 km
Land use arable land: NA


permanent crops: NA
arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
Languages Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English
Legal system - New Zealand and local statutes
Legislative branch Council of the European Union (25 member-state ministers having 321 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population); note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU; European Parliament (732 seats; seats allocated among member states by proportion to population); members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term


elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED 268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27, independents 28
unicameral General Fono (48 seats; members chosen by each atoll's Council of Elders or Taupulega to serve three-year terms); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono
Life expectancy at birth total population: 78.1 years


male: 74.9 years


female: 81.4 years (July 2004 est.)
total population: NA years


male: 68 years


female: 70 years (2003 est.)
Literacy - NA
Location Europe between Eastern Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references Europe Oceania
Maritime claims NA exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - none (2002 est.)
Military - note In October 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "constitutional treaty" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade and the Multinational Command Support Brigade and will command EUFOR, which will take over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - committments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. As of November 2004, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France had proposed creation of three 1,500-man rapid-reaction "battle groups." defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
National holiday Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert Schuman proposed the creation of an organized Europe Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)
Nationality - noun: Tokelauan(s)


adjective: Tokelauan
Natural hazards flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic lies in Pacific typhoon belt
Natural resources iron ore, arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, hydropower, uranium, potash, fish NEGL
Net migration rate 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM [Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Group of Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Socialist Group in the European Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Hans-Gert POETTERING]; Union for Europe of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI] none
Political pressure groups and leaders - none
Population 456,285,839 (July 2004 est.) 1,418 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate 0.17% (July 2004 est.) 0.01% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Bremen (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples (Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia) none; offshore anchorage only
Radio broadcast stations AM 866, FM 13,396, shortwave 73 (1998); note - sum of individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Euroradio) AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA


note: each atoll has a radio broadcast station of unknown type that broadcasts shipping and weather reports (1998)
Railways total: 222,293 km


broad gauge: 28,438 km


standard gauge: 186,405 km


narrow gauge: 7,427 km


other: 23 km (2003)
0 km
Religions Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish 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 at birth: NA


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and older: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (July 2004 est.)
NA (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 years of age; universal
Telephone system note - see individual country entries of member states general assessment: adequate


domestic: radiotelephone service between islands


international: radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations, established in 1997
Telephones - main lines in use 238,763,162 (2002) NA
Telephones - mobile cellular 314,644,700 (2002) 0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations 2,791 (1995); note - does not include repeaters; sum of indiviual country television broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Eurovision) -
Terrain fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons
Total fertility rate 1.48 children born/woman (July 2004 est.) NA children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.1% (2004 est.) NA%
Waterways 53,512 km none
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