Niue

§1. Niue Introduction

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 about 2,166 in 2006),
  with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest.

§2. Niue 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 km²
  land: 260 km²
  water: 0 km²

Area - comparative:
  1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  64 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 11.54%
  permanent crops: 15.38%
  other: 73.08% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  NA

Natural hazards:
  typhoons

Environment - current issues:
  increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil
  fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
    Desertification
  signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
  one of world's largest coral islands

§3. Niue People

Population:
  2,166 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: NA
  15-64 years: NA
  65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.01% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  NA births/1,000 population

Death rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate:
  NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Sex ratio:
  NA

Infant mortality rate:
  total: NA
  male: NA
  female: NA

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: NA
  male: NA
  female: NA

Total fertility rate:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA

Nationality:
  noun: Niuean(s)
  adjective: Niuean

Ethnic groups:
  Niuen 78.2%, Pacific islander 10.2%, European 4.5%, mixed 3.9%, Asian 0.2%,
  unspecified 3% (2001 census)

Religions:
  Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely related to the
  London Missionary Society) 61.1%, Latter-Day Saints 8.8%, Roman Catholic
  7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, other 8.4%,
  unspecified 8.7%, none 1.9% (2001 census)

Languages:
  Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan; English

Literacy:
  definition: NA
  total population: 95%
  male: NA
  female: NA

§4. Niue Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: none
  conventional short form: Niue
  former: Savage Island

Dependency status:
  self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue fully
  responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for
  external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no
  rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government
  of Niue

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 at the second order

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; note - Niue is self-governing, with the power to make
  its own laws

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 Young VIVIAN (since 1 May 2002)
  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 12 May 2005 (next to
    be held May 2008)
  election results: Young VIVIAN reelected premier; percent of Legislative
    Assembly vote - Young VIVIAN (NPP) 85%, O'Love JACOBSEN (independent) 15%

Legislative branch:
  unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; members elected by popular vote
  to serve three-year terms; 6 elected from a common roll and 14 are village
  representatives)
  elections: last held 30 April 2005 (next to be held April 2008)
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue

Political parties and leaders:
  Niue People's Action Party or NPP [Young VIVIAN]; Alliance of Independents
  or AI [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  ACP, FAO, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, 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

§5. Niue Economy

Economy - overview:
  The economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic
  isolation, few resources, and a small population. 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 emigration to New
  Zealand. Efforts to increase GDP include the promotion of tourism and a
  financial services industry, although the International Banking Repeal Act
  of 2002 resulted in the termination of all offshore banking licenses.
  Economic aid from New Zealand in 2002 was about US$2 million. Niue suffered
  a devastating typhoon in January 2004, which decimated nascent economic
  programs. While in the process of rebuilding, Niue has been dependent on
  foreign aid.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $7.6 million (2000 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  -0.3% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $3,600 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: NA%
  industry: NA%
  services: 55%

Labor force:
  NA

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%

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1% (1995)

Budget:
  revenues: $NA
  expenditures: $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%

Electricity - production:
  3 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  2.79 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  20 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $137,200 (1999)

Exports - commodities:
  canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passion fruit products,
  pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts

Exports - partners:
  New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia (2004)

Imports:
  $2.38 million (1999)

Imports - commodities:
  food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants,
  chemicals, drugs

Imports - partners:
  New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2004)

Debt - external:
  $418,000 (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $2.6 million from New Zealand (2002)

Currency (code):
  New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Exchange rates:
  New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221
  (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. Niue Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  1,100 est (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  400 (2002)

Telephone system:
  domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island
  international: country code - 683

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .nu

Internet users:
  900 (2002)

§7. Niue Transportation

Airports:
  1 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005)

Roadways:
  total: 234 km
  paved: 86 km
  unpaved: 148 km (2001)

Ports and terminals:
  none; offshore anchorage only

§8. Niue Military

Military branches:
  no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

§9. Niue Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none


<Factbook 2006>
