It is headed by an Official Secretary who shares the responsibility with seven directors, also based in Apia. Six of these directors are Tokelauans, the seventh is Samoan. The day to day administration of each island is the responsibility of the General Fono . Fifteen of its 45 members are chosen by each of the three atolls. Small, isolated and lacking in resources, the people of Tokelau depend on subsistence farming.
Some income is derived from copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins and handicrafts.
It imports much of its food, building materials and fuels. Tokelau has no military. The British sailor Captain Edwards sighted Islanders on Nukunonu in 1791. But they were not aware of Fakaofo, the most populated island, until 1835. The US made the first landing in the islands in 1841, and described 500 to 600 people living on Fakaofo and 120 on Atafu.