Nukunonu is the largest

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

within

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...

, a dependency of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, in the south

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

. It comprises 30

islets An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

surrounding a central

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

, with about of land area and a lagoon surface area of . Motuhaga is the only islet that has inhabitants. It has an estimated population of 448.

History

The first European vessel known to have come upon Nukunonu was the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

ship , in 1791, whose captain, Edward Edwards, named Duke of Clarence Island in honor of Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (1765-1837), the third son of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

and later king himself, as William IV. At the time, the ''Pandora'' was searching for mutineers from . During the early 19th century, Nukunonu's inhabitants were converted to Roman Catholicism by Samoan missionaries. Between 1856 and 1979, the United States claimed that it held sovereignty over the island and the other Tokelauan atolls. In 1979, the U.S. conceded that Tokelau was under New Zealand sovereignty, and a

maritime boundary A maritime boundary is a conceptual division of the Earth's water surface areas using physiographic or geopolitical criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources,VLIZ Maritime Boun ...

between Tokelau and

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

was established by the Treaty of Tokehega.Treaty on the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Tokelau and the United States of America (with map)
United Nations Treaty Series, 1998.

Demography

Tokelau Nukuono Luana Liki Hotel 20070716

The main settlement on the

is located on Nukunonu Island at the southwestern edge of the lagoon with a concrete bridge joining the two areas of settlement. The island's residents depend upon coconuts, pandanus, and marine life for subsistence. Fresh water is scarce; concrete water tanks are incorporated into the bases of newly built houses to collect rainwater from the roofs. Shipping is hampered by the lack of an adequate anchorage. Satellite TV dishes are beginning to appear on some houses in the village. Tokelau has one hotel, the Luana Liki Hotel, and one resort, Falefa Resort, both situated on Nukunonu. Few tourists visit the country and tourism is not widely promoted. There is ambivalence about tourism, with some Tokelauans wanting to keep the country unaffected by the outside world. Despite this, visitors are greeted with traditional Polynesian hospitality. The Luana Liki Hotel functions mainly to accommodate official visitors, which have included the New Zealand Prime Minister and Governor General. There is one main shop in Nukunonu which sells a limited range of products. Due to the vagaries of shipping schedules, it is at times short of goods. Local administration consists of a Taupulega (Council of Elders), made up of heads of family groups and two elected members. According to the 2006 census 426 people live on Nukunonu, of which more than 95% belong to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The most recent census data show of 2016 show the population at 448.

Environment

Important Bird Area

Some 60 ha of the eastern side of the atoll has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because the site supports breeding colonies of

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...

and black noddies and common white terns, with about 20,000 breeding pairs estimated in 2011.

Economy

Coconut (''

Cocos nucifera The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

'') is an important food source here. The Black Rat (''

Rattus rattus The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is ...

'') arrived with European exploration and can take 50% of the yield, but the native Polynesian Rat ('' R. exulans'') will do the same amount of damage anywhere the Black Rat has not become dominant. Rodent control and research on rodent control are important to deal with the problem.

Islands

* Avakaukilikili * Matalapa * Niualemu * Hini Ailani * Te Palaoa * Apia * Haumagalu * Niututahi * Lalohumu * Olomoana * Tuigaika * Tima * Vaivaimai * Te Nonu * Patiku * Tuatiga * Tagamako * Hilakehe * Na Taulaga * Punalei * Motu Fala * Motu Akea * Fulumahaga * Na Hapiti * Fatigauhu * Te Afua o lafu * Te Puka i Mua * Motuhaga * Te Kamu * Fakanava Tau Loto * Vini * Te Puka i Muli * Te Fakanava

References

External links

{{Coord, 9, 10, 06, S, 171, 48, 35, W, region:TK_type:isle, display=title Atolls of Tokelau Pacific islands claimed under the Guano Islands Act Territorial disputes of New Zealand Populated places in Tokelau Former disputed islands Important Bird Areas of the Tokelau Islands Important Bird Areas of the Realm of New Zealand Seabird colonies