Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2008) | Niue (2001) | |
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 |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years:
NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
Agriculture - products | - | coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle |
Airports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 5 sq km
land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island |
total:
260 sq km land: 260 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve. | 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 2,100 in 2000) with substantial emigration to New Zealand. |
Birth rate | - | NA births/1,000 population |
Budget | - | revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | - | Alofi |
Climate | tropical | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds |
Coastline | 74.1 km | 64 km |
Constitution | - | 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act) |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Niue former: Savage Island |
Currency | - | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
Death rate | - | NA deaths/1,000 population |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Attorney-General's Department | self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) |
Disputes - international | Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to these islands; Australia closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain catches | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $8.3 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | no economic activity | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 2.8 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | - | 3 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 3 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | 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 - 2.2502 (January 2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5082 (1997), 1.4543 (1996) |
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 Sani LAKATANI (since 1 April 1999) 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 19 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2002) election results: Sani LAKATANI elected premier; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - NA% |
Exports | - | $117,500 (f.o.b., 1989) |
Exports - commodities | - | canned coconut cream, copra, honey, passion fruit products, pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | - | NZ 89%, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia |
Fiscal year | - | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of Australia 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 - $4.5 million (1997 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,800 (1997 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 12 14 S, 123 05 E | 19 02 S, 169 52 W |
Geography - note | Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983 | one of world's largest coral islands |
Highways | - | total:
234 km paved: 86 km unpaved: 148 km (106 km of which is access and plantation road) (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
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 |
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 | - | NA deaths/1,000 live births |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 1% (1995) |
International organization participation | - | ACP, ESCAP (associate), FAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO, WMO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue |
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 |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2005) |
arable land:
19% permanent crops: 8% permanent pastures: 4% forests and woodland: 19% other: 50% (1993 est.) |
Languages | - | Polynesian closely related to Tongan and Samoan, English |
Legal system | the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply | English common law |
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 19 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 9, independents 11 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population:
NA years male: NA years female: NA years |
Literacy | - | definition:
NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand |
Military branches | - | 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 | surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards | typhoons |
Natural resources | fish | fish, arable land |
Net migration rate | - | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population |
People - note | the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem | - |
Political parties and leaders | - | Niue People's Action Party or NPP [Sani LAKATANI] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island |
2,124 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.5% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none; offshore anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 1,000 (1997) |
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) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | - | general assessment:
primitive 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 | - | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | low with sand and coral | steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau |
Total fertility rate | - | NA children born/woman |
Unemployment rate | - | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |