(free association with New Zealand)
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
land: 260 sq km
water : 0 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%
permanent crops : 8%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 50% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons
Environment - current issues: traditional methods of burning brush and trees to clear land for agriculture have threatened soil supplies which are not naturally very abundant
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: one of world's largest coral islands
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:
at birth: NA male(s)/female
under 15 years : NA male(s)/female
15-64 years: NA male(s)/female
65 years and over: NA male(s)/female
total population: NA male(s)/female
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
Nationality:
noun: Niuean(s)
adjective: Niuean
Ethnic groups: Polynesian (with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and Tongans)
Religions: Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church) 75% - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society, 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
Data code: NE
Dependency status: 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
National capital: Alofi
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: on 19 October 1974, Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand
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 of the UK (since 6 February 1952); the queen and
New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since NA May 2000)
head of government: Premier Premier Sani LAKATANI (since 1 April 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet consists of the premier and three ministers
elections: the queen is a hereditary monarch; 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 21 March 2002 (next to be held in March 2005)
election results:percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 9, independents 11; note - all 20 seats were reelected
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue
Political parties and leaders: Niue People's Action Party or NPP [Sani LAKATANI]
International organization participation:ACP, ESCAP (associate), FAO, 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: 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%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 1% (1995)
Labor force:
total: 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
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $5.5 million
expenditures: $6.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1985 est.)
Industries: tourism, handicrafts, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: NA kW
Electricity - production: 3 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 2.79 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle
Exports:
total value: $137,200 (1999)
commodities: canned coconut cream, copra, honey, passion fruit products, pawpaw, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts
partners: NZ mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia
Imports:
total value: $2.38 million (1999)
commodities: food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs
partners :NZ mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid:
recipient: $2.6 million from New Zealand (2002)
Currency: 1 New Zealand dollar (NZD) = 100 cents
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
Telephones: 376 (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
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 312 (1991 est.)
Railways: 0 km
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(2002 est.)
Airports: 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1(2001)
Military branches: Police Force
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Disputes - international: none
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