Map of Niue | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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 2,100 in 2000) with substantial emigration to New Zealand.


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Location: Oceania island in the South Pacific Ocean east of Tonga

Geographic coordinates: 19 02 S 169 52 W

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 260 km²
Land: 260 km²
Water: 0 km²
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
Extremes 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 km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: typhoons

Geography
Note: one of world's largest coral islands


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Population: 2,124 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.5% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Niuean
Adjective: Niuean

Ethnic groups: Polynesian (with some 200 Europeans Samoans and Tongans)

Languages: Polynesian closely related to Tongan and Samoan English

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)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA%

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.5% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: NA births/1000 population

Death rate: NA deaths/1000 population

Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1000 population

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: NA years
Male: NA years
Female: NA years

Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 95%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Niue
Former: Savage Island

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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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
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]

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)
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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,800 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

Agriculture products: coconuts passion fruit honey limes taro yams cassava (tapioca) sweet potatoes; pigs poultry beef cattle

Industries: tourism handicrafts food processing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 450 (1992 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%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $NA
Expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1% (1995)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $117,500 (f.o.b. 1989)
Commodities: canned coconut cream copra honey passion fruit products pawpaws 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% Samoa Australia US

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

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)


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Electricity
Production: 3 million kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 2.8 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 376 (1991)
Mobile cellular: 0 (1991)

Telephone system
General assessment: primitive system
Domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island
International: NA

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .nu
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs