Niue
Introduction Niue
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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 about 2,100 in 2002) with
substantial emigration to New
Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest.
Geography Niue
--------------
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific
Ocean, east of Tonga
Geographic coordinates: 19 02 S, 169 52 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 260 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 260 sq km
Area - comparative: 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
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: 19.23%
permanent crops: 7.69%
other: 73.08% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification
signed, but not ratified: Law of the
Sea
Geography - note: one of world's largest coral islands
People Niue
-----------
Population: 2,134 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA%
Population growth rate: 0.5% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Sex ratio: NA
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/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 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: Niuean, a Polynesian language
closely related to Tongan and
Samoan; English
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 95%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government Niue
---------------
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Niue
former: Savage Island
Dependency status: self-governing in free association
with New Zealand since 1974; Niue
fully responsible for internal
affairs; New Zealand retains
responsibility for external affairs
and defense; however, these
responsibilities confer no rights of
control and are only exercised at
the request of the Government of
Niue
Government type: self-governing parliamentary
democracy
Capital: Alofi
Administrative divisions: none; note - there are no first-
order administrative divisions as
defined by the US Government, but
there are 14 villages at the second
order
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
note: Niue is self-governing, with
the power to make its own laws
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)
election results: Sani LAKATANI
elected premier; percent of
Legislative Assembly vote - NA%
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)
head of government: Premier Sani
LAKATANI (since 1 April 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet consists of the
premier and three ministers
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)
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 9,
independents 11; note - all 20 seats
were reelected
elections: last held 21 March 2002
(next to be held in March 2005)
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 NA
leaders:
International organization ACP, ESCAP (associate), FAO,
participation: 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 none (self-governing territory in
US: 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 Niue
------------
Economy - overview: The economy suffers from the typical
Pacific island problems of
geographic isolation, few resources,
and a small population. 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, although Premier
LAKATANI announced in February 2002
that Niue will shut down the
offshore banking industry. Economic
aid from New Zealand in 2002 will be
about $2.6 million.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $7.6
million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -0.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,600
(2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 55%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1995)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: most work on family plantations;
paid work exists only in government
service, small industry, and the
Niue Development Board
Unemployment rate: NA%
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 (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 2.79 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, passion fruit, honey,
limes, taro, yams, cassava
(tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs,
poultry, beef cattle
Exports: $137,200 (1999)
Exports - commodities: canned coconut cream, copra, honey,
vanilla, passion fruit products,
pawpaws, root crops, limes,
footballs, stamps, handicrafts
Exports - partners: NZ mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands,
Australia
Imports: $2.38 million (1999)
Imports - commodities: food, live animals, manufactured
goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants,
chemicals, drugs
Imports - partners: NZ mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa,
Australia, US
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $2.6 million from New Zealand (2002)
Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code: NZD
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar -
2.3535 (January 2002), 2.3776
(2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886
(1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5082 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications Niue
-------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 376 (1991)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1991)
Telephone system: domestic: single-line telephone
system connects all villages on
island
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 1,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .nu
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Transportation Niue
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Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 234 km
paved: 86 km
unpaved: 148 km (106 km of which is
access and plantation road) (2001)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)
Military Niue
-------------
Military branches: no regular indigenous military
forces; Police Force
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of New
Zealand
Transnational Issues Niue
-------------------------
Disputes - international: none
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