Where In The World Is Tokelau?

I have a data collection program attached to my website (www.LoucindaMcgary.com), and one of the things it collects is the country where visitors to my site are located. I have to admit to being such a big geek that I check the thing several times a week because I get a real thrill when I see hits from places I've never been, like Bulgaria and Malaysia (those were both listed this week)!

Well this week, a first happened for me. I got a website 'hit' from a place I'd never heard of!

If you've spent more than five minutes on this blog, then I don't have to tell you what a travel fanatic yer olde Aunty truly is. Plus, I've been to places that many of my friends and relatives scratch their heads over, not to mention my plans to visit at least a score more that almost nobody puts on their destination list. So for me NOT to have heard of someplace it must be pretty darn remote!

So WHERE in the world IS Tokelau?!?!

Turns out it is three tiny coral atolls located about 300 miles north of Samoa in the South Pacific. (Yes, I looked it up!) The three little islands have a combined population of about 1500 people.

Tokelau is a territory of New Zealand and receives support from there. That also means that some English is spoken in Tokelau because it is taught as a second language in the schools. Plus, a large number of Tokelauans live in New Zealand -- more than actually live on the islands!

Maybe that is where someone on Tokelau heard of me? They visited New Zealand and saw or heard about one of my books? Or someone went to visit their relatives on Tokelau and just happened to be surfing the net and wound up on my website?

However it happened, I am astounded at the very idea that someone on a tiny island in the South Pacific might have heard of me! Okay, I'm resisting the urge to start humming "It's a Small World!"

Have you ever heard of Tokelau? Any other unusual place you know about that might be new to yer olde Aunty?