Norfolk Island : Ask Biography

General information

Common name

Norfolk Island

Local name

Norfolk Island

Name

Norfolk Island

Motto

"Inasmuch"

Anthem

Official God Save the Queen / Un-official Pitcairn Anthem

Capital

Kingston

Largest city

Burnt Pine

Official languages

English, Norfuk.

Government

Government

Self-governing territory

Head of State

Queen Elizabeth II represented by the Governor-General of Australia

Administrator

Owen Walsh (Acting 2007-2008) (2008 - )

Chief Minister

David Buffett (2010-)

Self-governing territory

Self-governing territory

Norfolk Island Act

1979

Geography

Total Area

13.3 sq mi (34.4 km2) (227th)

Water %

negligible

Demography

Population Est.

2141

Density (pop.)

62.1/km² (161/sq mi)

Economy

Other information

Currency

Australian dollar (AUD)

Time zone

NFT (Norfolk Island Time) (UTC+11:30)

Drives on the

left

Internet TLD

.nf

Calling code

672

Home | State | Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island -enˈnɔrfək ˈaɪlənden-us-Norfolk Island.ogg (Norfuk: Norfuk Ailen ) is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance. Together with two neighbouring islands, it forms one of Australia's external territories.

Originally colonised by East Polynesians, Norfolk Island was colonised by Britain as part of its settlement in Australia in 1788. It then served as a convict penal settlement until 1794, when it was abandoned until 1856, when permanent residence on the island for civilians began. In 1901, the island became a part of the Commonwealth of Australia which it has remained until this day.

The evergreen Norfolk Island pine is a symbol of the island and thus pictured on its flag (see illustration). Native to the island, the pine is a key export industry for Norfolk Island, being a popular ornamental tree on mainland Australia, where two related species grow, and also in Europe.