Jersey (2005) | Tokelau (2002) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 8,222/female 7,658)
15-64 years: 67% (male 30,296/female 30,561) 65 years and over: 15.5% (male 6,176/female 7,899) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 42%
15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% (1996 est.) |
Agriculture - products | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products | coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | none; lagoon landings are possible by amphibious aircraft (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
- |
Area | total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 10 sq km
land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC | about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | 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 | 9.66 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NA births/1,000 population |
Budget | revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $430,830
expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of $37,300 |
Capital | Saint Helier | none; each atoll has its own administrative center |
Climate | temperate; mild winters and cool summers | tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) |
Coastline | 70 km | 101 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948, as amended in 1970 |
Country name | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tokelau |
Currency | - | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
Death rate | 9.19 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population |
Debt - external | none | $0 |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelauans are drafting a constitution, developing institutions and patterns of self-government as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | none | from New Zealand about $4 million annually |
Economy - overview | The Channel Island economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living standards come close to those of the UK. | 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, 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 | 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) | NA kWh |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France | - |
Electricity - production | - | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 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 | Jersey 51.1%, British 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) | Polynesian |
Exchange rates | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.3535 (January 2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
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 | $NA | $98,000 f.o.b. (1983) |
Exports - commodities | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles | stamps, copra, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | UK | NZ |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow | the flag of New Zealand is used |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $1.5 million (1993 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $40,000 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1993 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 49 15 N, 2 10 W | 9 00 S, 172 00 W |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier | 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: 577 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
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 | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals | foodstuffs, building materials, fuel |
Imports - partners | UK | NZ |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, banking and finance, dairy | small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
38 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.3% (2004) | NA% |
International organization participation | - | SPC, UNESCO (associate), WHO (associate) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) | Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau |
Labor force | 52,790 (2004) | NA |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) | Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English |
Legal system | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court | New Zealand and local statutes |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 53 |
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: 79.24 years
male: 76.77 years female: 81.91 years (2005 est.) |
total population: NA years
male: 68 years (2001) female: 70 years (2001) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
NA |
Location | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France | 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 | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
Nationality | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
noun: Tokelauan(s)
adjective: Tokelauan |
Natural hazards | NA | lies in Pacific typhoon belt |
Natural resources | arable land | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
Population | 90,812 (July 2005 est.) | 1,431 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.32% (2005 est.) | -0.92% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier | none; offshore anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, 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 | - | 0 km |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian | 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: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
NA |
Suffrage | NA years of age; universal adult | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
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 | 73,900 (2001) | NA |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 61,400 (2001) | 0 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | - |
Terrain | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast | low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons |
Total fertility rate | 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.) | NA children born/woman |
Unemployment rate | 0.9% (2004 est.) | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |