Territory of Norfolk Island
Teratri a' Norf'k Ailen (Norfuk)
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Motto: "Inasmuch"
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Status | External Territory |
Capital |
Kingston 29°02′S 167°57′E / 29.03°S 167.95°E |
Largest city | Burnt Pine |
Official languages |
English Norfuk |
Demonym | Norfolk Islander |
Sovereign state | Australia |
Government | part of Australia |
• Monarch
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Elizabeth II |
Eric Hutchinson | |
Establishment | |
• Separation from Colony of Tasmania
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1 November 1856 |
• Transfer of Territory from UK to Australia
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1 July 1914 |
Area | |
• Total
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34.6 km2 (13.4 sq mi) (227th) |
• Water (%)
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negligible |
Population | |
• July 2014 estimate
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2,210 (231) |
• Density
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61.9/km2 (160.3/sq mi) |
HDI (2008) | 0.958 very high |
Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) |
Time zone | NFT (Norfolk Island Time) (UTC+11:00) |
Drives on the | left |
Calling code | 672 |
ISO 3166 code | NF |
Internet TLD | .nf |
Norfolk Island (/ˈnɔːrfək/; Norfuk: Norf'k Ailen) is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, 1,412 kilometres (877 mi) directly east of mainland Australia's Evans Head, and about 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Lord Howe Island. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia. Together with two neighbouring islands, it forms one of Australia's external territories. It has 1,796 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km2 (14 sq mi). Its capital is Kingston.
Norfolk Island was first settled by East Polynesians but was long unpopulated when it was eventually also settled by Great Britain as part of its settlement of Australia from 1788. The island served as a convict penal settlement from 6 March 1788 until 5 May 1855, except for an 11-year hiatus between 15 February 1814 and 6 June 1825, when it lay abandoned. On 8 June 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when it was settled from Pitcairn Island. In 1914 the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an external territory.
The evergreen Norfolk Island pine is a symbol of the island and thus pictured on its flag. Native to the island, the pine is a key export for Norfolk Island, being a popular ornamental tree on mainland Australia, where two related species grow, and also worldwide.