Tokelau (2005) | Western Sahara (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (territory of New Zealand) | none (under de facto control of Morocco) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42%
15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% (2005 est.) |
0-14 years:
NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
Agriculture - products | coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) |
Airports | none; lagoon landings are possible by amphibious aircraft (2004 est.) | 11 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total:
3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 10 sq km
land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | about the size of Colorado |
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. | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed and is not expected to occur until at least 2002. |
Birth rate | NA | - |
Budget | revenues: $430,800
expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of $37,300 (1987 est.) |
revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | none; each atoll has its own administrative center | none |
Climate | tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
Coastline | 101 km | 1,110 km |
Constitution | administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970 | - |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tokelau |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
Currency | - | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
Death rate | NA | - |
Debt - external | $0 | $NA |
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 | none (territory of New Zealand) | none |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of New Zealand) | none |
Disputes - international | none | claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991 |
Economic aid - recipient | from New Zealand about $4 million annually | $NA |
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, 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. | Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of living are substantially below the Moroccan level. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 83.7 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 90 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | 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:
Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
Environment - current issues | very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand | sparse water and lack of arable land |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Polynesian | Arab, Berber |
Exchange rates | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001), 2.2012 (2000) | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 10.590 (January 2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General of New Zealand Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001); New Zealand is represented by Administrator Neil WALTER (since 1 March 2003)
head of government: Pio TUIA (since February 2005); 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 |
none |
Exports | $98,000 f.o.b. (1983) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | stamps, copra, handicrafts | phosphates 62% |
Exports - partners | New Zealand (2000) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of New Zealand is used | - |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: 40%-45% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1993 est.) | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 9 00 S, 172 00 W | 24 30 N, 13 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 | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total: NA
paved: NA unpaved: NA |
total:
6,200 km paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $323,000 c.i.f. (1983) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, building materials, fuel | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | New Zealand (2000) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
Independence | none (territory of New Zealand) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing | phosphate mining, handicrafts |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
- |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | NA% |
International organization participation | UNESCO (associate), UPU | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau | - |
Labor force | NA | 12,000 |
Labor force - by occupation | - | animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
Land use | arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 19% forests and woodland: 0% other: 81% |
Languages | Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
Legal system | New Zealand and local statutes | - |
Legislative branch | unicameral General Fono (21 seats; based upon proportional representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; Nukunonu has 6 seats, Fakaofo has 7 seats, Atafu has 8 seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono
elections: last held January 2002 (next to be held January 2005) |
- |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: -9 years female: -9 years (2005 est.) |
- |
Literacy | NA | definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco |
Map references | Oceania | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand | - |
Military branches | - | NA |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) | - |
Nationality | noun: Tokelauan(s)
adjective: Tokelauan |
noun:
Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
Natural hazards | lies in Pacific typhoon belt | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility |
Natural resources | NEGL | phosphates, iron ore |
Net migration rate | NA | - |
Political parties and leaders | none | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
Population | 1,405 (July 2005 est.) | 250,559 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.01% (2005 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: 1 radio station provides service to all islands (2002) |
AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 56,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 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 |
Muslim |
Sex ratio | NA | - |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign has yet to be completed |
Telephone system | 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, established in 1997 |
general assessment:
sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
Telephones - main lines in use | 300 (2002) | about 2,000 (1999 est.) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (2001) | 0 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | - | NA |
Terrain | low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast |
Total fertility rate | NA | - |
Unemployment rate | NA% | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |