Tokelau

The combination of extremely low population and minimal land area places Tokelau at the high end of vulnerability indices. This small scale means that any major natural disaster, such as a cyclone or severe coastal erosion, could disproportionately affect the entire population and infrastructure, severely impacting its economy and health systems.

Fakaofo is listed as the capital of Tokelau. Given the extremely small total population and land area, it is highly likely that a significant portion of the administrative and perhaps the residential population is concentrated in this single atoll, creating a high degree of centralization for such a dispersed territory.

Tokelau is situated deep within the Polynesian subregion of Oceania. This geographic classification implies shared cultural, linguistic, and historical ties with neighbors like Samoa, Tuvalu, and French Polynesia, despite its political status as a non-self-governing territory of New Zealand.

With a land area of only 12 square kilometers, Tokelau is geographically one of the smallest territories in the world. This extreme smallness dictates unique challenges regarding resource management, infrastructure development, and vulnerability to environmental changes like sea-level rise.