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 Match 180   DB Rec# - 7,632  Dataset-WOFACT

Title         :Niue 
Text          : 
                                      Niue 
 
                                     Header 
 
Affiliation: 
    (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 
 
                                     Economy 
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 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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Updated: March 12, 1996