Compare Saint Barthelemy (2008) - Tokelau (2001)

Discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who named it for his brother Bartolomeo, St. Barthelemy was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, the French sold the island to Sweden, who renamed the largest town Gustavia, after the Swedish King GUSTAV III, and made it a free port; the island prospered as a trade and supply center during the colonial wars of the 18th century. France repurchased the island in 1878 and placed it under the administration of Guadeloupe. St. Barthelemy retained its free port status along with various Swedish appelations such as Swedish street and town names, and the three-crown symbol on the coat of arms. In 2003, the populace of the island voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the island became a French overseas collectivity.

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. According to a UN report, these low-lying islands will disappear in the 21st century, if global warming continues to raise sea levels.

Birth rate

-

NA births/1,000 population

Budget

-

revenues:
$430,830

expenditures:
$2.8 million, including capital expenditures of $37,300 (1987 est.)

Capital

name: Gustavia

geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight savings: +1 hour, starts 20 March and ends 17 October

none; each atoll has its own administrative center

Climate

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)

Coastline

-

101 km

Constitution

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948, as amended in 1970

Country name

conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy

conventional short form: Saint Barthelemy

local long form: Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy

local short form: Saint-Barthelemy

conventional long form:
none

conventional short form:
Tokelau

Currency

-

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Death rate

-

NA deaths/1,000 population

Debt - external

-

$0

Dependency status

overseas collectivity of France

territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelauans are drafting a constitution, developing institutions and patterns of self-government as Tokelau moves toward free association with Wellington

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas collectivity of France)

none (territory of New Zealand)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas collectivity of France)

none (territory of New Zealand)

Disputes - international

-

none

Economic aid - recipient

-

$3.8 million (1995)

Economy - overview

The economy of Saint Barthelemy is based upon high-end tourism and duty-free luxury commerce, serving visitors primarily from North America. The luxury hotels and villas host 70,000 visitors each year with another 130,000 arriving by boat. The relative isolation and high cost of living inhibits mass tourism. The construction and public sectors also enjoy significant investment in support of tourism. With limited fresh water resources, all food must be imported, as must all energy resources and most manufactured goods. Employment is strong and attracts labor from Brazil and Portugal.

Tokelau's small size (three villages), 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.

Electricity - consumption

-

NA kWh

Electricity - production

-

NA kWh

Electricity - production by source

-

fossil fuel:
NA%

hydro:
NA%

nuclear:
NA%

other:
NA%

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m

highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m

lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point:
unnamed location 5 m

Environment - current issues

with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is in short supply, especially in summer, and provided by desalinization of sea water, collection of rain water, or imported via water tanker

very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand

Ethnic groups

white, Creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia)

Polynesian

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - NA (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.2502 (January 2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997), 1.4543 (1996)

Executive branch

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007)

head of government: President of the Territorial Council Bruno MAGRAS (since 16 July 2007)

cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council

elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term

election results: Bruno MAGRAS unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007

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 FALIMATEAO (since NA 1997)

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

-

$98,000 (f.o.b., 1983)

Exports - commodities

-

stamps, copra, handicrafts

Exports - partners

-

NZ

Fiscal year

-

1 April - 31 March

Flag description

the flag of France is used

the flag of New Zealand is used

GDP

-

purchasing power parity - $1.5 million (1993 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

-

agriculture:
NA%

industry:
NA%

services:
NA%

GDP - per capita

-

purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1993 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-

NA%

Geographic coordinates

17 90 N, 62 85 W

9 00 S, 172 00 W

Highways

-

total:
NA km

paved:
NA km

unpaved:
NA km

Household income or consumption by percentage share

-

lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%

Imports

-

$323,400 (c.i.f., 1983)

Imports - commodities

-

foodstuffs, building materials, fuel

Imports - partners

-

NZ

Independence

none (overseas collectivity of France)

none (territory of New Zealand)

Industrial production growth rate

-

NA%

Industries

-

small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing

Infant mortality rate

-

NA deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-

NA%

International organization participation

UPU

SPC, WHO (associate)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

-

1 (2000)

Irrigated land

-

NA sq km

Judicial branch

-

Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau

Labor force

-

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

-

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

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
0%

forests and woodland:
0%

other:
100% (1993 est.)

Languages

French (primary), English

Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English

Legal system

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

British and local statutes

Legislative branch

unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - SBA 72.2%, Action-Equilibre-Transparence 9.9%, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 7.9%, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 9.9%; seats by party - SBA 16, Action-Equilibre-Transparence 1, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 1, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 1

unicameral General Fono (45 seats - 15 from each of the three atolls; members chosen by each atoll's Council of Elders or Taupulega to serve three-year terms); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers legislative power on the General Fono

Life expectancy at birth

-

total population:
NA years

male:
NA years

female:
NA years

Location

located approximately 125 miles northwest of Guadeloupe

Oceania, group of three islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Oceania

Maritime claims

-

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM

Merchant marine

-

none (2000 est.)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

National holiday

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Nationality

-

noun:
Tokelauan(s)

adjective:
Tokelauan

Natural hazards

-

lies in Pacific typhoon belt

Natural resources

has few natural resouces, its beaches being the most important

NEGL

Net migration rate

-

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Political parties and leaders

Action-Equilibre-Transparence [Maxime DESOUCHES]; Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy [Benoit CHAUVIN]; Saint-Barth d'Abord! or SBA [Bruno MAGRAS]; Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy [Karine MIOT-RICHARD]

none

Political pressure groups and leaders

-

none

Population

6,852 (1999 March census)

1,445 (July 2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

-

NA%

Population growth rate

-

-0.92% (2001 est.)

Ports and harbors

-

none; offshore anchorage only

Radio broadcast stations

-

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

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witness

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

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal

21 years of age; universal

Telephone system

general assessment: fully integrated access

domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems

international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe

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

-

NA

Telephones - mobile cellular

-

0 (2001)

Television broadcast stations

-

NA

Terrain

hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with 20 beaches

low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons