Tokelau Facts for Kids

Map of Tokelau

Where Tokelau is in the World

Central Oceania: Tokelau is in the centre at the top.

Flag of Tokelau

Badge of Tokelau

Tokelau is a small group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is made up of three special islands called atolls. These atolls are quite small, covering about 12 square kilometers (4.6 square miles). In 2016, around 1,500 people lived there. Tokelau is a territory that belongs to New Zealand.

The three atolls are Alatufu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. They are sometimes called the Union Islands along with Swains Island. Swains Island is now part of American Samoa and is about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Fakaofo. Only a few people live on Swains Island. Tokelau is located roughly halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii.

Tokelau does not have one main capital. The most important languages spoken there are English and Tokelauan.

The people of Tokelau live in four villages. Two of these villages are on Fakaofo, while Atafu and Nukunonu each have one village. Most people speak Tokelauan, and about half of the population can also speak English.

Getting to Tokelau: How Remote Is It?
Tokelau's Relationship with New Zealand
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Getting to Tokelau: How Remote Is It?

A barge leaves the dock at Nukunonu in Tokelau to collect passengers and cargo from the MV Tokelau drifting in deeper waters in the distance.

Tokelau is one of the most isolated places in the Pacific Ocean. There are no airports, so you can only reach the islands by ship. There are also no large sea ports, which makes travel difficult, even between the atolls themselves.

New Zealand helps by paying for a ship that connects Tokelau with the nearest big seaport, which is Apia in Samoa. The journey from Apia to Fakaofo takes about a day. To reach Atafu, the northernmost atoll, it takes another three to four hours.

Since there are no big piers on the islands, smaller boats called barges are used to get people and cargo from the ship to the shore. The ship usually visits Tokelau about once every two weeks.

Tokelau's Relationship with New Zealand

In 2004, there was a special vote in Tokelau. The idea was to change Tokelau's status from being a dependent territory of New Zealand to being "in association with" New Zealand. This is similar to how the Cook Islands and Niue are connected to New Zealand. However, at that time, the people of Tokelau voted against this change.