Tokelau

Tokelau, overseas dependent territory of New Zealand, consisting of the Tokelau Islands, situated in the south-western Pacific Ocean about 480 km (300 mi) north of Samoa. It comprises three coral atolls—Atafu, Fakaofo, and Nukunonu—and has a total area of 10 sq km (4 sq mi). The population (2007 estimate) is about 1,449, giving a density of about 145 people per sq km (362 per sq mi). The economy is based on fishing and subsistence agriculture. Copra and woven handicrafts are the principal exports. Many Tokelauans live and work in New Zealand.

The islands were settled by Polynesians and first visited by the Europeans only in 1765. They became a British protectorate in 1877. They were administered as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony (modern-day Kiribati and Tuvalu) until 1926, when their administration was transferred to New Zealand. By legislation enacted in 1948 they were included within New Zealand's territorial boundaries as a non-self-governing territory. In 1976 the territory's name was officially changed from the Tokelau Islands to Tokelau, the name by which it has customarily been known to its inhabitants. Referendums held in 2006 and 2007 narrowly failed (the latter by 16 votes) to support the move for Tokelau to become a self-governing state.