Akrotiri (2006) | Niue (2003) | |
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 |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle |
Airports | - | 1 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands |
total: 260 sq km
land: 260 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. | 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 2,100 in 2002), with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest. |
Birth rate | - | NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | name: Episkopi Cantonment; also serves as capital of Dhekelia
geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Alofi |
Climate | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds |
Coastline | 56.3 km | 64 km |
Constitution | Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 | 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act) |
Country name | conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Niue former: Savage Island |
Currency | - | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
Death rate | - | NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $418,000 (2002 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus | 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 |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) |
Disputes - international | - | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $2.6 million from New Zealand (2002) |
Economy - overview | Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. | 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 migration of Niueans to New Zealand. Efforts to increase GDP include the promotion of tourism and a financial services industry, although Premier LAKATANI announced in February 2002 that Niue will shut down the offshore banking industry. Economic aid from New Zealand in 2002 was about $2.6 million. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 2.79 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | - | 3 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | - | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m |
Environment - current issues | shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base | 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 |
Ethnic groups | - | Polynesian (with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and Tongans) |
Exchange rates | - | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.162 (2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8629 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defence elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch |
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 1 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2005) election results: Young VIVIAN elected premier; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - Young VIVIAN (NPP) 70%, Hunukitama HUNUKI (AI) 30% |
Exports | - | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | - | canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passion fruit products, pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | - | NZ mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia (2000) |
Fiscal year | - | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of the UK is used | 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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $7.6 million (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 55% |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $3,600 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | -0.3% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 34 37 N, 32 58 E | 19 02 S, 169 52 W |
Geography - note | British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus | one of world's largest coral islands |
Highways | - | total: 234 km
paved: 86 km unpaved: 148 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | - | food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs |
Imports - partners | - | NZ mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2000) |
Independence | - | on 19 October 1974, Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | tourism, handicrafts, food processing |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: NA%
male: NA% female: NA% |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 1% (1995) |
International organization participation | - | ACP, ESCAP (associate), FAO, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO, WMO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | - | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue |
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 |
Land boundaries | total: 47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km |
0 km |
Land use | - | arable land: 19.23%
permanent crops: 7.69% other: 73.08% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English, Greek | Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan; English |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply | English common law
note: Niue is self-governing, with the power to make its own laws |
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 21 March 2002 (next to be held in March 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 9, independents 11; note - all 20 seats were reelected |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: NA
total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga |
Map references | Middle East | Oceania |
Maritime claims | - | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand |
Military branches | - | no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force |
National holiday | - | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
Nationality | - | noun: Niuean(s)
adjective: Niuean |
Natural hazards | - | typhoons |
Natural resources | - | fish, arable land |
Net migration rate | - | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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 |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,300 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there |
2,145 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.01% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none; offshore anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | FM 1
note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) |
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
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) |
Sex ratio | - | NA (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | - | domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island
international: NA |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 376 (1991) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 0 (1991) |
Television broadcast stations | British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | - | steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau |
Total fertility rate | - | NA children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |