| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tokelau former: Union Islands, Tokelau Islands etymology: "tokelau" is a Polynesian word meaning "north wind" |
| Dependency status | self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN-sponsored referendum on self governance in October 2007 did not meet the two-thirds majority vote necessary for changing the political status |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
| Capital | time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: there is no designated, official capital for Tokelau; the location of the capital rotates among the three atolls along with the head of government or Ulu o Tokelau |
| Administrative divisions | none (territory of New Zealand) |
| Independence | none (territory of New Zealand) |
| National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
| Constitution | history: many previous; latest effective 1 January 1949 (Tokelau Islands Act 1948) amendments: proposed as a resolution by the General Fono; passage requires support by each village and approval by the General Fono; amended several times, last in 2007 |
| Legal system | common law system of New Zealand |
| Citizenship | see New Zealand |
| Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General of New Zealand Governor General Dame Patricia Lee REDDY (since 28 September 2016); New Zealand is represented by Administrator Ross ARDERN (since May 2018) head of government: (Ulu o Tokelau) Fofo Filipo TUISANO (since 9 March 2020); note - position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders) of the atolls cabinet: Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau (or Tokelau Council) functions as a cabinet; consists of 3 Faipule (village leaders) and 3 Pulenuku (village mayors) elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; administrator appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; head of government chosen from the Council of Faipule to serve a 1-year term note: the meeting place of the Tokelau Council rotates annually among the three atolls; this tradition has given rise to the somewhat misleading description that the capital rotates yearly between the three atolls; in actuality, it is the seat of the government councilors that rotates since Tokelau has no capital |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral General Fono (20 seats apportioned by island - Atafu 7, Fakaofo 7, Nukunonu 6; members directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 3-year terms); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power to the General Fono elections: last held on 23 January 2020 depending on island (next to be held in January 2023) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 20; composition - men 17, women 3, percent of women 15% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Court of Appeal (in New Zealand) (consists of the court president and 8 judges sitting in 3- or 5-judge panels, depending on the case) judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the Judicial Selection Committee and approved by three-quarters majority of the Parliament; judges serve for life subordinate courts: High Court (in New Zealand); Council of Elders or Taupulega |
| Political parties and leaders | none |
| International organization participation | PIF (associate member), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of New Zealand) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of New Zealand) |
| Flag description | a yellow stylized Tokelauan canoe on a dark blue field sails toward the manu - the Southern Cross constellation of four, white, five-pointed stars at the hoist side; the Southern Cross represents the role of Christianity in Tokelauan culture and, in conjunction with the canoe, symbolizes the country navigating into the future; the color yellow indicates happiness and peace, and the blue field represents the ocean on which the community relies |
| National symbol(s) | tuluma (fishing tackle box); national colors: blue, yellow, white |
| National anthem | name: "Te Atua" (For the Almighty) lyrics/music: unknown/Falani KALOLO note: adopted 2008; in preparation for eventual self governance, Tokelau held a national contest to choose an anthem; as a territory of New Zealand, "God Defend New Zealand" and "God Save the Queen" are official (see New Zealand) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
