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NIUE

 (free association with New Zealand) 

@Niue: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

@Niue: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

@Niue: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

@Niue: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

@Niue: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

@Niue:Defense Forces

 Branches: Police Force

 Note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand


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