Tokelau
Coat of arms
Motto: Tokealau No Te Atua
Capital		None; each atoll has its own administrative centre. Tokelau 's territorial parliament the General Fono, approved a design for a national emblem in May 2008 A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group
Official languages		Tokelauan, English
Demonym		Tokelauan
Government		Constitutional monarchy
-	Head of State	Queen Elizabeth II
-	Administrator	David Payton
-	Head of Government	Pio Tuia
New Zealand territory
-	Tokelau Act	1948
Area
-	Total	10 km² (228th) 5 sq mi
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	2007 estimate	1,449 (220th)
-	2006 census	1,4661
-	Density	115/km² (86th) 298/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		1993 estimate
-	Total	$1. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Tokelauan is an Austronesian language. Speakers It is spoken by about 1700 people on the atolls of Tokelau, and by the few inhabitants of English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is TalkCommonewalth realm.--> The For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Administrator of Tokelau is an official of the New Zealand Government, responsible for supervising the government of the Dependent territory of Tokelau David Bruce Payton (born 1952? has been the Administrator of Tokelau since 17 October 2006. The office of head of government of Tokelau ( Ulu-o-Tokelau) rotates yearly between the faipule (leaders of Tokelau's three atolls Pio Tuia (born 1931 is the current Ulu o Tokelau, head of government of Tokelau. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare sizes of different geographic regions we list here Areas between 10 km² (1000 Hectares and 100 km² (10000 hectares This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 5 million (227th)
-	Per capita	$1,035 (not ranked)
Currency		New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Time zone		(UTC-10)
Internet TLD		.tk
Calling code		+690
Some data from the World Factbook (2004). There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The New Zealand dollar ( sign: $; code: NZD) is the Currency of New Zealand. ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E The World Factbook ( ISSN; also known as the CIA World Factbook) is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the 1. Tuhiga Igoa o te 2006 - 2006 Tokelau Census of Population and Dwellings. The Census population figure of 1,466 includes 392 usual residents of Tokelau who were absent on census night.

Tokelau (pronounced /ˈtoʊkəlaʊ/) is a territory of New Zealand that consists of three tropical coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island An atoll (pronounced /ˈætʌl/ is an island of Coral that encircles a Lagoon partially or completely The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The United Nations General Assembly designated Tokelau a Non-Self-Governing Territory. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Membership For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly see General Assembly members The United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories documents countries that according to the United Nations, are non- decolonized. ^[1]

Until 1976 the official name was Tokelau Islands. Tokelau is sometimes referred to by Westerners by the older, colonial name of The Union Islands.

Etymology and consequences of name usage

The name Tokelau is a Polynesian word meaning "north wind. The Polynesian languages are a Language family spoken in the region known as Polynesia. " The islands were officially named the Union Islands and Union Group at unknown times. Tokelau Islands was adopted in 1946, which was contracted to Tokelau on 9 December 1976. Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The change in usage between Tokelau Islands and Tokelau marks a slight shift in emphasis, with consequences in regional diplomacy, in that the term Tokelau Islands clearly and substantially refers to a geographical expression, that is, a range of islands, whatever else it may connote. Thus it is not necessarily controversial to refer to a range of islands by one name, even though politically they may come under two jurisdictions. Whereas Tokelau can be taken to refer more immediately to some concept of nationhood, arguably infusing increased meaning to the draft 2006 independence constitution of Tokelau which, controversially or not, defines Swains Island, currently part of American Samoa, as part of the national territory. Swains Island is an Atoll in the Tokelau chain the most northwesterly island administered by American Samoa. American Samoa (Amerika Sāmoa or sm ''Sāmoa Amelika'' is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast

Geography

Map of all Tokelau Islands. Swains Island is shown to the south

Tokelau comprises three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean between 171° and 173° W longitude and 8° and 10° S latitude, approximately midway between Hawaii and New Zealand. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the They lie about 500 km (311 mi) north of Samoa. Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean The islands are Atafu, at one time known as the Duke of York Group, Nukunonu, also the Duke of Clarence Group, and Fakaofo, once Bowditch Island. Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group is a group of 42 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. Nukunonu, is a group of coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. Fakaofo, formerly known as Bowditch Island, is a South Pacific Ocean Atoll located at 171° 15' West 9° 25' South in the Tokelau Group Between them they comprise a land area of 10. 8 km². There are no ports or harbours. Tokelau lies in the Pacific typhoon belt. A fourth island that is culturally, historically, and geographically, but not politically, part of the Tokelau chain is Swains Island (Olohega), under United States control since about 1900 and administered as part of American Samoa since 1925. Swains Island is an Atoll in the Tokelau chain the most northwesterly island administered by American Samoa. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the American Samoa (Amerika Sāmoa or sm ''Sāmoa Amelika'' is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast The island was claimed by the United States pursuant to the Guano Islands Act as were the other three islands of Tokelau, which claims were ceded to Tokelau by treaty in 1979. The Guano Islands Act ( §§ 1411-1419 is federal legislation passed by the U In the draft constitution of Tokelau subject to the Tokelauan self-determination referendum in 2006, Olohega is claimed as part of Tokelau, a claim surrendered in the same 1979 treaty which established a boundary between American Samoa and Tokelau.

Tokelau's claim to Swains is generally comparable to the Marshall Islands' claim to US-administered Wake Island, but the re-emergence of this somewhat dormant issue has been an unintended result of the United Nations' recent efforts to promote decolonization in Tokelau. The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean Wake Island (also known as Wake Atoll) is a Coral atoll having a Coastline of 12 miles (19 kilometers in the North Pacific Ocean The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Basically, Tokelauans have proved somewhat reluctant to push their national identity in the political realm: recent decolonization moves have mainly been driven from outside for ideological reasons. But at the same time, Tokelauans are reluctant to disown their common cultural identity with Swains Islanders who speak their language.

Against the claim in Tokelau's draft constitution that Swains Island is part of Tokelau is the arguably telling symbolism of the three stars on the flag of Tokelau, representing Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo, i. Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group is a group of 42 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. Nukunonu, is a group of coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. Fakaofo, formerly known as Bowditch Island, is a South Pacific Ocean Atoll located at 171° 15' West 9° 25' South in the Tokelau Group e. , not including Swains Island (Olohega). The suggestion which could be inferred from this is that, in identifying with a three-star flag, supporters of Tokelau's independence do not actively expect Swains Island to be incorporated into any independent Tokelauan state that might emerge in the foreseeable future. Tokelauan is an Austronesian language. Speakers It is spoken by about 1700 people on the atolls of Tokelau, and by the few inhabitants of In turn, against this it may be argued that, since the flag of Tokelau is neither currently official, nor the emblem of an internationally recognized sovereign state, then the number of stars, and the islands which they represent, cannot be regarded as conclusive indication as to the territorial aspirations of Tokelau's nationalists. By way of example in support of this is the fact that in the 1990s neighbouring Tuvalu, with which Tokelau has cultural affinities, varied the number of stars — representing islands — on different official versions of its national flag. Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and

Tokelau is in a completely different time zone to most of New Zealand, being 10 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) rather than 12 hours in front, meaning a 22 hour time difference for much of the year (New Zealand has daylight saving time (DST) for part of the year while Tokelau never participates). Daylight saving time ( DST Tokelau is in the same time zone as the Cook Islands and Hawaii rather than neighbouring Samoa and American Samoa. The Cook Islands ( Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean American Samoa (Amerika Sāmoa or sm ''Sāmoa Amelika'' is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast ^{[2] [3]}

Geographic locations of Tokelau's atolls

• Atafu: 8°33′6″S, 172°30′3″W
• Nukunonu: 9°10′6″S, 171°48′35″W
• Fakaofo: 9°21′55″S, 171°12′54″W

History

Archaeological evidence indicates that the atolls of Tokelau — Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo — were settled about 1000 years ago, probably by voyages from Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tuvalu. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group is a group of 42 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. Nukunonu, is a group of coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. Fakaofo, formerly known as Bowditch Island, is a South Pacific Ocean Atoll located at 171° 15' West 9° 25' South in the Tokelau Group Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean The Cook Islands ( Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Oral history traces local traditions and genealogies back several hundred years. ^[4] Inhabitants followed Polynesian mythology with the local god Tui Tokelau; and developed forms of music (see Music of Tokelau) and art. Polynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia (meaning "many islands" in Greek a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island Tokelau is a non-self-governing territory of New Zealand located in the Pacific Ocean whose people are of Polynesian descent The three atolls functioned largely independently while maintaining social and linguistic cohesion. Tokelauan society was governed by chiefly clans, and there were occasional inter-atoll skirmishes and wars as well as inter-marriage. A clan is a group of People united by Kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** Fakaofo, the "chiefly island,"^[5] held some dominance over Atafu and Nukunonu. Life on the atolls was subsistence-based, with reliance on fish and coconut. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two The Coconut Palm ( Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family ^[4]

Western discovery and contact

Commodore John Byron discovered Atafu on 24 June 1765 and named it "Duke of York's Island. Vice-Admiral John Byron, RN ( November 8, 1723 – April 10, 1786) was an English Vice-admiral. Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group is a group of 42 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1765 ( MDCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a " Parties onshore reported that there were no signs of current or previous inhabitants. ^[6][7] Captain Edward Edwards, in knowledge of Byron's discovery, visited Atafu on 6 June 1791 in search of the Bounty mutineers. Edward Edwards may refer to Edward Edwards (actor Edward Edwards (cleric (1726-1783 Welsh cleric and academic Edward Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1791 ( MDCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common For the book about the mutiny by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall see Mutiny on the Bounty (novel. There were no permanent inhabitants, but houses contained canoes and fishing gear, suggesting the island was used as a temporary residence by fishing parties. ^[7] On 12 June 1791, Edwards sailed southward and discovered Nukunonu, naming it "Duke of Clarence's Island". Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1791 ( MDCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Nukunonu, is a group of coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. ^[8] A landing party could not make contact with the people but saw "morais," burying places, and canoes with "stages in their middle" sailing across the lagoons. ^[7]

On 29 October 1825 August R. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Strong of the U. S. N Dolphin wrote of his crew's arrival at the atoll Nukunonu, "Upon examination, we found they had removed all the women and children from the settlement, which was quite small, and put them in canoes lying off a rock in the lagoon. Nukunonu, is a group of coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. They would frequently come near the shore, but when we approached they would pull off with great noise and precipitation. " (The Journal of the South Pacific, 110 (3), pp. 296).

Fakaofo islanders, drawn in 1841 by the United States Exploring Expedition. The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean ("the Southern Seas" conducted by the United States Navy from

On 14 February 1835 Captain Smith of the United States whaler General Jackson records discovering Fakaofo, calling it "D'Wolf's Island". Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1835 ( MDCCCXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Captain Edward John Smith, RD, RNR ( 27 January 1850 &ndash 15 April 1912) was the captain of the RMS ''Titanic'' Fakaofo, formerly known as Bowditch Island, is a South Pacific Ocean Atoll located at 171° 15' West 9° 25' South in the Tokelau Group ^[9][10] On 25 January 1841, the United States Exploring Expedition visited Atafu and discovered a small population living on the island. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean ("the Southern Seas" conducted by the United States Navy from The residents appeared to be temporary, evidenced by the lack of a chief and the possession of double canoes (used for inter-island travel). A canoe is a small narrow Boat, typically human-powered though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors They desired to barter, and possessed blue beads and a plane-iron, indicating previous interaction with foreigners. The expedition reached Nukunonu on 28 January 1841 but did not record any information about inhabitants. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link On 29 January 1841, the expedition discovered Fakaofo and named it "Bowditch". Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link ^[11] The islanders were found to be similar in appearance and nature to those in Atafu. ^[12]

Missionaries preached Christianity in Tokelau from 1845 to the 1860s. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings French Catholic missionaries on Uvea and missionaries of the Protestant London Missionary Society in Samoa used native teachers to convert the Tokelauans. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational Missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean Atafu was converted to Protestantism by the London Missionary Society, Nukunonu was converted to Catholicism and Fakofo was converted to both denominations. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". ^[13] Peruvian slave traders arrived in 1863 and took nearly all (253) of the able-bodied men to work as labourers. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. The history of slavery uncovers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures throughout history The men died of dysentery and smallpox, and very few returned to Tokelau. Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is an infection of the digestive system that results in severe Diarrhea containing mucus and blood Smallpox is an Infectious disease unique to humans caused by either of two virus variants named Variola major and Variola minor. With this loss, the system of governance became based on the "Taupulega," or "Councils of Elders," where individual families on each atoll were represented. ^[4][10] During this time, Polynesian immigrants and American, Scottish, French, Portuguese and German beachcombers settled, marrying local women and repopulating the atolls. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as ^[10]

Government

Villages are entitled to enact their own laws regulating their daily lives and New Zealand law only applies where it has been extended by specific enactment. Serious crime is rare and there are no prisons - offenders are publicly rebuked, fined or made to work^[14]

In 1877 the islands were included under the protection of Great Britain by an Order-in-council which claimed jurisdiction over all unclaimed Pacific Islands. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in Commonwealth Realms. The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20000 to 30000 Islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined Commander Oldham on HMS Egeria landed at each of the three atolls in June 1889^[15] and officially raised the Union Flag, declaring the group a British protectorate. The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands In International law, a protectorate is a autonomous territory that is "protected" by a stronger state or entity hense the protector which engages to protect The British government annexed Tokelau to the colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands and transferred Tokelau to New Zealand administration in 1926, abolishing the islands' chiefdoms. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a British Protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 until 1 January 1976 when the islands were divided New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island By the Tokelau Act of 1948, sovereignty over Tokelau was transferred to New Zealand. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Defence is also the responsibility of New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island However, the Tokelauans are drafting a constitution and developing institutions and patterns of self-government as Tokelau moves towards free association with New Zealand, similarly to Niue and the Cook Islands. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Niue (niːˈʔuːeɪ/ /ˈnjuːeɪ in English is an Island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The Cook Islands ( Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Tokelau

The head of state is Elizabeth II, the Queen in right of New Zealand, who also reigns over the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms. Politics of Tokelau takes place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II TalkCommonewalth realm.--> New Zealand The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II as their respective Monarch The Queen is represented in the territory by Administrator David Payton. David Bruce Payton (born 1952? has been the Administrator of Tokelau since 17 October 2006. The current head of government is Kuresa Nasau, who presides over the Council for the Ongoing Governance of Tokelau, which functions as a cabinet. Kuresa Nasau is a Tokelauan politician who has served as head of government ( Ulu o Tokelau) five times The Council consists of the Faipule (leader) and Pulenuku (village mayor) of each of the three atolls. ^[16] The monarch is hereditary, the administrator appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand, and the office of head of government rotates between the three Faipule for a one-year term. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand. ^[16]

The Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers legislative power on the General Fono, a unicameral body. The number of seats each atoll receives in the Fono is determined by population — at present, Fakaofo and Atafu both have eight and Nukunonu has seven. ^[16] Faipule and Pukenuku (atoll leaders and village mayors) also sit in the Fono. ^[16]

On 11 November 2004 Tokelau and New Zealand took steps to formulate a treaty that would turn Tokelau from a non-self-governing territory to a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " An associated state is the minor partner in a formal free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a (usually larger nation for which no other specific Besides the treaty, a UN-sponsored referendum on self-determination took place, with the three islands voting on successive days starting 13 February 2006. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Tokelau self-determination referendum of 2006, supervised by the United Nations, was held from February 11 to February 15, 2006. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. (Tokelauans based in Apia, Samoa, voted on February 11. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. ) ^[17]. Out of 581 votes cast, 349 were for Free Association, being short of the two-thirds majority required for the measure to pass. ^[18] The referendum was profiled (somewhat light-heartedly) in the 1 May 2006 issue of The New Yorker magazine. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry ^[19] A repeat referendum took place on October 20-24, 2007, again narrowly failing to approve self-government. A referendum on self-determination was held in Tokelau on 20 October and on 22–24 October 2007 but fell short of the required total by 16 votes This time the vote was short by just 16 votes or 3%. ^[20]

In May 2008, the United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged colonial powers "to complete the decolonization process in every one of the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories", including Tokelau. International holidays May 1 - Labour Day ( Pakistan) May 1 - Labour Day ( Singapore) Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944 Korean: 반기문 Hanja: 潘基文 is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations. The United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories documents countries that according to the United Nations, are non- decolonized. ^[21] This led the New Zealand Herald to comment that the United Nations was "apparently frustrated by two failed attempts to get Tokelau to vote for independence". ^[22]

Economy

According to the Central Intelligence Agency's list of countries by GDP (PPP) Tokelau has the smallest economy of any country in the world. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Tokelau has an annual purchasing power of about US$1,000 (€674) per capita. Purchasing power is the amount of value of a good/services compared to the amount paid with a Currency. The government is almost entirely dependent on subsidies from New Zealand. It has annual revenues of less than US$500,000 (€336,995) against expenditures of some US$2. 8 million (€1. 9 million). The deficit is made up by aid from New Zealand. Tokelau exports around US$100,000 (€67,400) of stamps, copra and handicrafts, woven and carved, annually and imports over US$300,000 (€202,197) of foodstuffs, building materials, and fuel to, and from, New Zealand. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services Copra is the dried meat or kernel of the Coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam word kopra for dried coconut New Zealand also pays directly for the cost of medical and education services. Local industries include small-scale enterprises for copra production, wood work, plaited craft goods, stamps, coins, and fishing. Copra is the dried meat or kernel of the Coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam word kopra for dried coconut Agriculture and livestock produces coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas, pigs, poultry and few goats. The Coconut Palm ( Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family Copra is the dried meat or kernel of the Coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam word kopra for dried coconut Breadfruit ( Artocarpus altilis) is a Tree and Fruit native to the Malay Peninsula and western Pacific islands The papaya (from Carib via Spanish) is the Fruit of the Plant Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. For the fruit see Banana. For other meanings see Banana (disambiguation. Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times Poultry is the category of Domesticated Birds which some humans keep for the purpose of collecting their eggs, or kill for their Meat and/or The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe A large number of Tokelauans live in New Zealand and support their families in Tokelau through remittances. Remittance can also refer to the Accounting concept of a monetary payment transferred by a customer to a business Remittances are transfers

Internet domain names

Main article: .tk

Tokelau has added 10% to its GDP through registrations of domain names under its top-level domain, .tk. In Computer networking, a domain name is a name given to a collection of network devices that belong to a domain which is an administrative space managed according ^[23] Registrations can be either free, in which case advertising is displayed on the site along with other restrictions, or paid, which allows the domain owner to remove the advertising and other restrictions. Free domains are pointed to Tokelau name servers and the only services available are HTTP traffic being redirected via HTML frames to a specified address, where there is also a frame displaying advertising, and the redirection of up to five email address to external address (not at a . In Computing, a name server (also called 'nameserver' consists of a program or computer server that implements a name-service protocol. Hypertext Transfer Protocol ( HTTP) is a Communications protocol for the transfer of information on the Internet. HTML, an initialism of HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant Markup language for Web pages It provides a means to describe the structure tk domain). Also, free domains have a minimum traffic limit of 25 unique visitors in any 90 day period. If this limit is not reached, the domain is suspended and the owner has either 10 days to convert the domain to a paid domain or have the domain deregistered.

In September 2003, Fakaofo became the first part of Tokelau with a high-speed Internet connection. Fakaofo, formerly known as Bowditch Island, is a South Pacific Ocean Atoll located at 171° 15' West 9° 25' South in the Tokelau Group The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks Foundation Tokelau finances the project. Tokelau gives most domain names under its authority away to anyone for free to gain publicity for the territory. This has allowed the nation to gain enhanced telecommunications technologies, such as more computers and Internet access for Tokelauan residents.

Demographics

The atoll of Fakaofo, southernmost of the Tokelau Islands

Tokelau has fewer than 1,500 Polynesian inhabitants in three villages who speak Tokelauan and English. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over Tokelauan is an Austronesian language. Speakers It is spoken by about 1700 people on the atolls of Tokelau, and by the few inhabitants of English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Their isolation and lack of resources greatly limits economic development and confines agriculture to the subsistence level. The very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand and Samoa, resulting in a population decline of about 0. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean 9% per year. Depletion of tuna has made fishing for food more difficult. Tuna, are several Species of ocean-dwelling Fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus.

On the island of Atafu almost all inhabitants are members of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa. Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group is a group of 42 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean On Nukunonu almost all are Roman Catholic. Nukunonu, is a group of coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean. On Fakaofo both denominations are present with the Congregational Christian Church predominant. Fakaofo, formerly known as Bowditch Island, is a South Pacific Ocean Atoll located at 171° 15' West 9° 25' South in the Tokelau Group The total proportions are: Congregational Christian Church 62%, Roman Catholic 34%, other 5%. ^[24]

While slightly more females than males live on Atafu and Fakaofo, males make up 57% of Nukunonu residents. ^[25] Only 9% of Tokelauans aged 40 or more have never been married. ^[26] One quarter of the population were born overseas; almost all the rest live on the same atoll they were born on. ^[27] Most households own 5 or more pigs. ^[28]

Miscellaneous

Each atoll has a school and hospital. The health services has a Director of Health based in Apia and a Chief Clinical Advisor who moves from atoll to atoll as required to assist the doctors attached to each hospital. In 2007 there was not always a doctor on each island and locums were appointed to fill the gaps. Locum, short for the Latin phrase locum tenens (lit " place-holder," akin to Lieutenant) is a person who temporarily fulfills Upcoming Tokelaun medical graduates should alleviate this shortage in the coming years.

Many Tokelauan youth travel to New Zealand to further their education and the ship is full around Christmas time with students returning home and then heading off for another year of study.

Tokelau has a radio telephone service between the islands and to Samoa. Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean In 1997, a government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok) with three satellite earth stations was established. Each atoll has a radio-broadcast station that broadcasts shipping and weather reports and every household has a radio or access to one.

A barge leaves the landing ramp in Nukuono to collect cargo and passengers from the MV Tokelau

Tokelau is served by the MV Tokelau, owned by the country, with the trip from Apia taking a little over a day. Ships load and unload cargo by motoring up to the down-wind (leeward) side of the islet where the people live and maintaining station, by intermittent use of engines, close to the reef edge so that a landing barge can be motored out to transfer cargo to or from the shore. Windward is the direction from which the wind is blowing at the time in question On returning to shore, the barge negotiates a narrow channel through the reef to the beach. Usually this landing is subject to ocean swell and beaching requires considerable skill and, often, coral abrasions to bodies. Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many

When bad weather prevents the barge making the trip, the ship stands off to wait suitable weather or goes off to one of the other atolls to attempt to load or unload its passengers or cargo, or both.

Cyclone Percy struck and severely damaged Tokelau in late February and early March of 2005. Cyclone Percy was the seventh named storm of the 2004-05 South Pacific cyclone season and the fourth and final cyclone to form during the February 2005 outbreak in the South Forecasters underestimated the cyclone's strength and the length of time it would be in vicinity to Tokelau. It coincided with a spring tide which put most of the area of the two villages on Fakaofo and Nukunonu under a metre of seawater. Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood The cyclone also caused major erosion on several islets of all three atolls, damaging roads and bridges and disrupting electric power and telecommunications systems. Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind The cyclone did significant and widespread damage to food crops including bananas, coconuts and pandanus. For the fruit see Banana. For other meanings see Banana (disambiguation. The Coconut Palm ( Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family Pandanus is a Genus of Monocots with about 600 known Species. It did not seriously injure anyone but villagers lost significant amounts of property. The geographic future of Tokelau depends on the height of the ocean. No significant land is more than two metres above high water of ordinary tides. Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood This means Tokelau is particularly vulnerable to any possible sea level rises caused by global warming. Sea-level rise is an increase in Sea level. Multiple complex factors may influence this change Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the

Books and Publications

• Tokelau: a historical ethnography by Judith Huntsman & Antony Hooper (1996, Auckland University Press) ISBN 1869401530
• The Future of Tokelau: decolonising agendas by Judith Huntsman with Kelihiano Kalolo (2007, Auckland University Press) ISBN 9781869403980
• Tokelau by Peter McQuarrie (2008)

See also

• Music of Tokelau

References

External links

• Ethnology of Tokelau Islands
• History, culture, and economy of Tokelau
• Tokelau Council of Ongoing Government, executive branch of the government
• The Administrator of Tokelau, Tokelau website of the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
• CIA World Factbook entry for Tokelau
• Open Directory Project— Tokelau ODP Tokelau category
• 'Tokelau wonders, "What have we done wrong?"'

Atoll links

• Fakaofo
• Nukunonu

Coordinates: 09°10′S 171°50′W / -9.167, -171.833