| Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island conventional short form: Norfolk Island etymology: named by British explorer Captain James COOK after Mary HOWARD, Duchess of Norfolk, in 1774 |
| Dependency status | self-governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities & Regional Development |
| Government type | non-self-governing overseas territory of Australia; note - the Norfolk Island Regional Council, which began operations 1 July 2016, is responsible for planning and managing a variety of public services, including those funded by the Government of Australia |
| Capital | name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends first Sunday in April etymology: the name is a blending of the words "king's" and "town"; the British king at the time of the town's settlement in the late 18th century was George III |
| Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) |
| Independence | none (territory of Australia) |
| National holiday | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) |
| Constitution | history: previous 1913, 1957; latest effective 7 August 1979 amendments: amended many times, last in 2020 |
| Legal system | English common law and the laws of Australia |
| Citizenship | see Australia |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia General David HURLEY (since 1 July 2019) head of government: Administrator Eric HUTCHINSON (since 1 April 2017) cabinet: Executive Council consists of 4 Legislative Assembly members elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia for a 2-year term and represents the monarch and Australia |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Norfolk Island Regional Council (5 seats; councillors directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms); mayor elected annually by the councillors elections: elections last held 28 May 2016 (next rescheduled to be held in 2022) election results: seats by party - independent 5; composition - men 4, women 1, percent of women 20% note: following an administrative restructuring of local government, the Legislative Assembly was dissolved on 18 June 2015 and replaced by an interim Norfolk Island Advisory Council effective 1 July 2015; the Advisory Council consisted of 5 members appointed by the Norfolk Island administrator based on nominations from the community; following elections on 28 May 2016, the new Norfolk Island Regional Council (NIRC) commenced operations on 1 July 2016; on 20 December 2020 the NIRC was suspended for three months following a public audit and this suspension was extended on 3 February 2021 for an additional three months pending the outcome of a public inquiry; the council election previously scheduled for 13 March 2021 has been postponed 12 months |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court of Norfolk Island (consists of the chief justice and several justices); note - appeals beyond the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island are heard by the Federal Court and the High Court of Australia judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor general of Australia from among justices of the Federal Court of Australia; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Petty Court of Sessions; specialized courts, including a Coroner's Court and the Employment Tribunal |
| Political parties and leaders | Norfolk Island Labor Party [Mike KELLY] Norfolk Liberals [John BROWN] |
| International organization participation | UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: none (territory of Australia) |
| Flag description | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band; green stands for the rich vegetation on the island, and the pine tree - endemic to the island - is a symbol of Norfolk Island note: somewhat reminiscent of the flag of Canada with its use of only two colors and depiction of a prominent local floral symbol in the central white band; also resembles the green and white triband of Nigeria |
| National symbol(s) | Norfolk Island pine |
| National anthem | name: Come Ye Blessed lyrics/music: New Testament/John Prindle SCOTT note: the local anthem, whose lyrics consist of the words from Matthew 25:34-36, 40, is also known as "The Pitcairn Anthem;" the island does not recognize "Advance Australia Fair" (which other Australian territories use); instead "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
