| Background: |
Niue's
remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences
between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of
the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately
administered. The population of the island continues to drop
(from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to 2,100 in 2000) with
substantial emigration to New Zealand. |
| Location: |
Oceania, island
in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
19 02 S, 169 52 W |
| Area: |
total:
260 sq km
land: 260 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
1.5 times the
size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical;
modified by southeast trade winds |
| Terrain: |
steep limestone
cliffs along coast, central plateau |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau
settlement 68 m |
| Natural
resources: |
fish, arable land |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
19%
permanent crops: 8%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 50% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
typhoons |
| Environment
- current issues: |
increasing
attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of
soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Geography
- note: |
one of world's
largest coral islands |
| Population: |
2,124 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA% |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.5% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
NA births/1,000
population |
| Death
rate: |
NA deaths/1,000
population |
| Net
migration rate: |
NA migrant(s)/1,000
population |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
NA deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
NA children
born/woman |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Niuean(s)
adjective: Niuean |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Polynesian (with
some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and Tongans) |
| Religions: |
Ekalesia Niue (Niuean
Church - a Protestant church closely related to the London
Missionary Society) 75%, Latter-Day Saints 10%, other 15%
(mostly Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day
Adventist) |
| Languages: |
Polynesian
closely related to Tongan and Samoan, English |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: 95%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Niue
former: Savage Island |
| Dependency
status: |
self-governing in
free association with New Zealand; Niue fully responsible
for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for
external affairs |
| Government
type: |
self-governing
parliamentary democracy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none; note -
there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined
by the US Government, but there are 14 villages each with
its own village council whose members are elected and serve
three-year terms |
| Independence: |
on 19 October
1974, Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government
in free association with New Zealand |
| National
holiday: |
Waitangi Day
(Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New
Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
| 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);
the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High
Commissioner John BRYAN (since NA May 2000)
head of government: Premier Sani LAKATANI
(since 1 April 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet consists of the premier and
three ministers
elections: the monarch is hereditary; premier
elected by the Legislative Assembly for a three-year term;
election last held 19 March 1999 (next to be held NA March
2002)
election results: Sani LAKATANI elected
premier; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - NA% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Legislative Assembly (20 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve three-year terms; six elected from a common
roll and 14 are village representatives)
elections: last held 19 March 1999 (next to be
held NA March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NPP 9, independents 11 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court of
New Zealand; High Court of Niue |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Niue People's
Action Party or NPP [Sani LAKATANI] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, ESCAP
(associate), FAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Sparteca,
SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO, WMO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none
(self-governing territory in free association with New
Zealand) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none
(self-governing territory in free association with New
Zealand) |
| Flag
description: |
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 |
| Economy
- overview: |
Government
expenditures regularly exceed revenues, and the shortfall is
made up by critically needed grants from New Zealand that
are used to pay wages to public employees. Niue has cut
government expenditures by reducing the public service by
almost half. 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. Efforts to increase GDP
include the promotion of tourism and a financial services
industry. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $4.5 million (1997 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $2,800 (1997 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1% (1995) |
| Labor
force: |
450 (1992 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
most work on
family plantations; paid work exists only in government
service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital
expenditures of $NA |
| Industries: |
tourism,
handicrafts, food processing |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
3 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
2.8 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
coconuts, passion
fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet
potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle |
| Exports: |
$117,500 (f.o.b.,
1989) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
canned coconut
cream, copra, honey, passion fruit products, pawpaws, root
crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts |
| Exports
- partners: |
NZ 89%, Fiji,
Cook Islands, Australia |
| Imports: |
$4.1 million
(c.i.f., 1989) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food, live
animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants,
chemicals, drugs |
| Imports
- partners: |
NZ 59%, Fiji 20%,
Japan 13%, Samoa, Australia, US |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$8.3 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
New Zealand
dollar (NZD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
New Zealand
dollars per US dollar - 2.2502 (January 2001), 2.1863
(2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5082 (1997), 1.4543
(1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
376 (1991) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
0 (1991) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: primitive system
domestic: single-line telephone system connects
all villages on island
international: NA |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 1,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.nu |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
234 km
paved: 86 km
unpaved: 148 km (106 km of which is access and
plantation road) (2001) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
none; offshore
anchorage only |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Police Force |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of New Zealand |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
