Tokelau (redirected from Autonomous communities of Tokelau)

Tokelau (tōkəlou`, tōkĕlä`) formerly Union Islands, island group (2005 est. pop. 1,400), c.5 sq mi (c.12 sq km), South Pacific, a territory of New Zealand. It is composed of three small atolls, Atafu, Nukunono (the largest), and Fakaofo. Apia is Tokelau's port of entry. The Polynesian inhabitants have a subsistence economy; the chief export is copra. The atolls are subject to occasional tropical cyclones, which did severe damage in 1966 and 2005.

Explored by British commodore John Byron in 1765, the group was made a British protectorate in 1877 and was included (1916–25) in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony. In 1925 Tokelau was mandated to New Zealand, and from 1926 to 1948 the islands were administered from the Territory of Western Samoa (now Samoa). In 1948 New Zealand acquired formal sovereignty, and in 1949 Tokelau officially became part of New Zealand. The islands were granted limited self-government in 1996; New Zealand statute law does not apply to Tokelau without its consent. The signing of the Principles of Partnerships with New Zealand in 2003 spelled out the relationship between two and furthered self government in Tokelau. A referendum (2006) on ending New Zealand's rule over Tokelau failed to win the two-thirds majority required for passage.

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Tokelau

 formerly (1916–46) Union Group

Island territory (pop., 2006: 1,466) of New Zealand, South Pacific Ocean. Located north of Samoa, Tokelau consists of three coral atolls—Fakaofu, Nukunono, and Atafu—each with numerous low-lying islets. Originally settled by Samoans, the islands were first visited by Europeans in the 18th century. In 1863 Peruvian slave raiders abducted many islanders; the abductions and outbreaks of disease reduced the population to about 200. The British established a protectorate there in 1889. Under the name Union Islands, they were part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony from 1916 to 1925, after which New Zealand was granted jurisdiction. The islands became part of New Zealand in 1948. The name Tokelau Islands was adopted in 1946; this was shortened to Tokelau in 1976. In 1994 the powers that had been held by the territory's New Zealand administrator were transferred to the local government on Tokelau.