CIA -- The World Factbook 1999 -- Niue

[Country Listing] [Factbook Home Page]

Niue
(self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

[Country map of Niue]

Niue

Geography

[Top of Page]

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

[Top of Page]

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

[Top of Page]

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

[Top of Page]

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

[Top of Page]

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

[Top of Page]

Railways: 0 km