Niue

(free association with New Zealand)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Defense Forces

Branches: Police Force

Note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand