| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
| Capital: |
Kingston |
| Location: |
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
29 02 S, 167 57 E |
| Area: |
total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land
Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
32 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain: |
volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
fish |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
NA ( Dependency status: territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories ) |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
none (territory of Australia) |
| Independence |
none (territory of Australia) |
| National
Holiday: |
Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) |
| Constitution: |
Norfolk Island Act of 1979 |
| Legal
System; |
based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003)
head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001)
cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator
elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 Ocotber 2004 (next to be held by December 2007)
election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
none |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
1,828 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9%
65 years and over: 15.9% (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
|
| Nationality: |
noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
| Ethnic groups: |
descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesians |
| Religions: |
Anglican 37.4%, Uniting Church in Australia 14.5%, Roman Catholic 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, none 12.2%, unknown 17.4%, other 3.9% (1996) |
| Languages: |
English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: adequate
domestic: free local calls
international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) |
| Internet country
code: |
.nf |
| Internet hosts: |
|
| Internet users: |
700 |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 80 km
paved: 53 km
unpaved: 27 km (2001) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
|
| Heliports: |
|
