Tokelau Geography - 2024

Location

Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates

9 00 S, 172 00 W

Map references

Oceania

Area

total: 12 sq km

land: 12 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 17 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

101 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)

Terrain

low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons

Elevation

highest point: unnamed location 5 m

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

Fisheries

Land use

agricultural land: 60% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 60% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 0% (2018 est.)

other: 40% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Population distribution

the country's small population is fairly evenly distributed amongst the three atolls

Natural hazards

lies in Pacific cyclone belt

Geography - note

consists of three atolls (Atafu, Fakaofo, Nukunonu), each with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over 3 m above sea level