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- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- Header
-
-
- Affiliation:
- (free association with New Zealand)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- Geography
-
-
- Location:
- Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga
- Map references:
- Oceania
- Area:
- total area:
- 260 sq km
- land area:
- 260 sq km
- comparative area:
- slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
- Land boundaries:
- 0 km
- Coastline:
- 64 km
- Maritime claims:
- exclusive economic zone:
- 200 nm
- territorial sea:
- 12 nm
- International disputes:
- none
- Climate:
- tropical; modified by southeast trade winds
- Terrain:
- steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
- Natural resources:
- fish, arable land
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 61%
- permanent crops:
- 4%
- meadows and pastures:
- 4%
- forest and woodland:
- 19%
- other:
- 12%
- Irrigated land:
- NA sq km
- Environment:
- current issues:
- traditional methods of burning brush and trees to clear land for agriculture
- have threatened soil supplies which naturally are not very abundant
- natural hazards:
- typhoons
- international agreements:
- signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
- Note:
- one of world's largest coral islands
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 1,837 (July 1995 est.)
- Age structure:
- 0-14 years:
- NA
- 15-64 years:
- NA
- 65 years and over:
- NA
- Population growth rate:
- -3.66% (1995 est.)
- Birth rate:
- NA
- Death rate:
- NA
- Net migration rate:
- NA
- Infant mortality rate:
- NA
- Life expectancy at birth:
- NA
- Total fertility rate:
- NA
- Nationality:
- noun:
- Niuean(s)
- adjective:
- Niuean
- Ethnic divisions:
- Polynesian (with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and Tongans)
- Religions:
- Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church) 75% - a Protestant church closely related to
- the London Missionary Society, Morman 10%, other 15% (mostly Roman
- Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist)
- Languages:
- Polynesian closely related to Tongan and Samoan, English
- Labor force:
- 1,000 (1981 est.)
- by occupation:
- most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government
- service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- Government
-
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Niue
- Digraph:
- NE
- Type:
- self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand; Niue fully
- responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for
- external affairs
- Capital:
- Alofi
- Administrative divisions:
- none
- Independence:
- 19 October 1974 (became a self-governing territory in free association with
- New Zealand on 19 October 1974)
- National holiday:
- Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi established British
- sovereignty)
- Constitution:
- 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)
- Legal system:
- English common law
- Suffrage:
- 18 years of age; universal
- Executive branch:
- chief of state:
- Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by New Zealand
- Representative Kurt MEYER (since NA)
- head of government:
- Premier Frank F. LUI (since 12 March 1993; Acting Premier since December
- 1992)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet; consists of the premier and three other ministers
- Legislative branch:
- unicameral
- Legislative Assembly:
- elections last held 6 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1996); results -
- percent of vote NA; seats - (20 total, 6 elected)
- Judicial branch:
- Appeal Court of New Zealand, High Court
- Political parties and leaders:
- Niue Peoples Party (NPP), Young VIVIAN
- Member of:
- ESCAP (associate), INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO,
- WHO
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
- US diplomatic representation:
- none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
- Flag:
- yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the flag of
- the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large one on a blue disk in
- the center and a smaller one on each arm of the bold red cross
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- Economy
-
-
- Overview:
- The economy is heavily dependent on aid from New Zealand. Government
- expenditures regularly exceed revenues, with the shortfall made up by grants
- from New Zealand - the grants are used to pay wages to public employees. The
- agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence gardening, although some
- cash crops are grown for export. Industry consists primarily of small
- factories to process passion fruit, lime oil, honey, and coconut cream. The
- sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is an important source of
- revenue. The island in recent years has suffered a serious loss of
- population because of migration of Niueans to New Zealand.
- National product:
- GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.4 million (1993 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- NA%
- National product per capita:
- $1,200 (1993 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 5% (1992)
- Unemployment rate:
- NA%
- Budget:
- revenues:
- $5.5 million
- expenditures:
- $6.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1985 est.)
- Exports:
- $117,500 (f.o.b., 1989)
- commodities:
- canned coconut cream, copra, honey, passion fruit products, pawpaw, root
- crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts
- partners:
- NZ 89%, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia
- Imports:
- $4.1 million (c.i.f., 1989)
- commodities:
- food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants,
- chemicals, drugs
- partners:
- NZ 59%, Fiji 20%, Japan 13%, Western Samoa, Australia, US
- External debt:
- $NA
- Industrial production:
- growth rate NA%
- Electricity:
- capacity:
- 1,500 kW
- production:
- 2.7 million kWh
- consumption per capita:
- 1,490 kWh (1992)
- Industries:
- tourism, handicrafts, food processing
- Agriculture:
- coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes; subsistence crops - taro, yams,
- cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle
- Economic aid:
- recipient:
- Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $62
- million
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- Economy
- Currency:
- 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
- Exchange rates:
- New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.5601 (January 1995), 1.6844 (1994),
- 1.8495 (1993), 1.8584 (1992), 1.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990)
- Fiscal year:
- 1 April - 31 March
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- Transportation
-
-
- Railroads:
- 0 km
- Highways:
- total:
- 229 km
- unpaved:
- all-weather 123 km; plantation access 106 km
- Ports:
- none; offshore anchorage only
- Merchant marine:
- none
- Airports:
- total:
- 1
- with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
- 1
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- Communications
-
-
- Telephone system:
- 383 telephones
- local:
- NA
- intercity:
- single-line telephone system connects all villages on island
- international:
- NA
- Radio:
- broadcast stations:
- AM 1,000, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1987 est.)
- radios:
- NA
- Television:
- broadcast stations:
- 0
- televisions:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Niue
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- Police Force
- Note:
- defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
-