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Geography
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% (1993 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, Desertification
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography—note: one of world's largest coral islands
People
Population: 2,103 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 0.5% (1999 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
male: NA
female: NA
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 Niue (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%
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Niue
Data code: NE
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
Capital: Alofi
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, 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); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner Warren SEARELL (since NA August 1993)
head of government: Premier Frank Fakaotimanava LUI (since 12 March 1993)
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 23 February 1996 (next to be held NA March 1999)
election results: Frank Fakaotimanava LUI 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 23 February 1996 (next to be held NA March 1999)
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 [Young VIVIAN]
International organization participation: ESCAP (associate), 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
Economy—overview: The economy is heavily dependent on aid and remittances from New Zealand as Niue has no indigenous export products. Government expenditures regularly exceed revenues, and the shortfall is made up by grants from New Zealand which 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$2.4 million (1993 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: NA%
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$1,200 (1993 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): 5% (1992)
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
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—production: 3 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 3 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
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, pawpaw, 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
Debt—external: $NA
Economic aid—recipient: $8.3 million (1995)
Currency: 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1—1.8560 (January 1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5082 (1997), 1.4543 (1996), 1.5235 (1995), 1.6844 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March
Communications
Telephones: 276 (1992 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1987 est.)
Radios: 1,000
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 312 (1991 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 234 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 234 km
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Police Force
Military—note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: none
*Information obtained from the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Fact Book.
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