Tokelau (2002) | Turks and Caicos Islands (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (territory of New Zealand) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42%
15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% (1996 est.) |
0-14 years:
32.58% (male 2,996; female 2,908) 15-64 years: 63.51% (male 6,050; female 5,459) 65 years and over: 3.91% (male 316; female 393) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats | corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish |
Airports | none; lagoon landings are possible by amphibious aircraft (2001) | 8 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total:
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 10 sq km
land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands are presently a British overseas territory. |
Birth rate | NA births/1,000 population | 24.89 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $430,830
expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of $37,300 |
revenues:
$47 million expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997-1998 est.) |
Capital | none; each atoll has its own administrative center | Cockburn Town (on Grand Turk) |
Climate | tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) | tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry |
Coastline | 101 km | 389 km |
Constitution | administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948, as amended in 1970 | introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tokelau |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands |
Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | 4.47 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $0 | $NA |
Dependency status | 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 | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of New Zealand) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of New Zealand) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | from New Zealand about $4 million annually | $4.1 million (1997) |
Economy - overview | 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. | The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US was the leading source of tourists in 1996, accounting for more than half of the 87,000 visitors; tourist arrivals had risen to 93,000 by 1998. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 4.6 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 5 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
Environment - current issues | very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand | limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater |
Ethnic groups | Polynesian | black |
Exchange rates | 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) | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | 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 |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Mervyn JONES (since 27 January 2000) head of government: Chief Minister Derek H. TAYLOR (since 31 January 1995) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor |
Exports | $98,000 f.o.b. (1983) | $4.7 million (1993) |
Exports - commodities | stamps, copra, handicrafts | lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells |
Exports - partners | NZ | US, UK |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of New Zealand is used | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.5 million (1993 est.) | purchasing power parity - $128 million (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1993 est.) | purchasing power parity - $7,300 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 8.7% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 9 00 S, 172 00 W | 21 45 N, 71 35 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 | 30 islands (eight inhabited) |
Highways | total: NA km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
total:
121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | $323,000 c.i.f. (1983) | $46.6 million (1993) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, building materials, fuel | food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials |
Imports - partners | NZ | US, UK |
Independence | none (territory of New Zealand) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing | tourism, offshore financial services |
Infant mortality rate | 38 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 18.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 4% (1995) |
International organization participation | SPC, UNESCO (associate), WHO (associate) | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 14 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau | Supreme Court |
Labor force | NA | 4,848 (1990 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services (1997 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 98% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English | English (official) |
Legal system | New Zealand and local statutes | based on laws of England and Wales, with a small number adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas |
Legislative branch | 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 | unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats, of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 4 March 1999 (next to be held by NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 52.2%, PNP 40.9%, independent 6.9%; seats by party - PDM 9, PNP 4 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA years
male: 68 years (2001) female: 70 years (2001) |
total population:
73.52 years male: 71.37 years female: 75.77 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
Location | Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand | Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas |
Map references | Oceania | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) | Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) |
Nationality | noun: Tokelauan(s)
adjective: Tokelauan |
noun:
none adjective: none |
Natural hazards | lies in Pacific typhoon belt | frequent hurricanes |
Natural resources | NEGL | spiny lobster, conch |
Net migration rate | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population | 13.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Washington MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 1,431 (July 2002 est.) | 18,122 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.92% (2002 est.) | 3.41% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | Grand Turk, Providenciales |
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) |
AM 3 (one inactive), FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 1,000 (1997) | 8,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | 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 |
Baptist 41.2%, Methodist 18.9%, Anglican 18.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.7%, other 19.9% (1980) |
Sex ratio | NA | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | 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 |
general assessment:
fair cable and radiotelephone services domestic: NA international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | NA | 3,000 (1994) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (2001) | 0 (1994) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; cable television is established) (1997) |
Terrain | low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons | low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps |
Total fertility rate | NA children born/woman | 3.22 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 10% (1997 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |