Niue (2008) | Indian Ocean (2008) | |
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 |
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Agriculture - products | coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle | - |
Airports | 1 (2007) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
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Area | total: 260 sq km
land: 260 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 68.556 million sq km
note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies |
Area - comparative | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about 5.5 times the size of the US |
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 an estimated 1,492 in 2007), with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest. | The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude. |
Birth rate | NA | - |
Budget | revenues: $15.07 million
expenditures: $16.33 million (FY0405) |
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Capital | name: Alofi
geographic coordinates: 19 01 S, 169 55 W time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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Climate | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds | northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean |
Coastline | 64 km | 66,526 km |
Constitution | 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act) | - |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Niue note: pronounciation falls between nyu-way and new-way, but not like new-wee former: Savage Island |
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Death rate | NA | - |
Debt - external | $418,000 (2002 est.) | - |
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 | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) | - |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) | - |
Disputes - international | none | some maritime disputes (see littoral states) |
Economic aid - recipient | $2.6 million from New Zealand (2002) | - |
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. | The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. |
Electricity - consumption | 2.79 million kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - production | 3 million kWh (2005) | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m |
lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m
highest point: sea level 0 m |
Environment - current issues | increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture | endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Ethnic groups | Niuen 78.2%, Pacific islander 10.2%, European 4.5%, mixed 3.9%, Asian 0.2%, unspecified 3% (2001 census) | - |
Exchange rates | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003) | - |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since 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 in May 2008) election results: Young VIVIAN reelected premier; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - Young VIVIAN 85%, O'Love JACOBSEN 15% |
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Exports | 0 bbl/day (2004) | - |
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 (2006) | - |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | - |
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 | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 23.5%
industry: 26.9% services: 49.5% (2003) |
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GDP - real growth rate | 6.2% (2003 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 19 02 S, 169 52 W | 20 00 S, 80 00 E |
Geography - note | one of world's largest coral islands | major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Imports | 20.38 bbl/day (2004) | - |
Imports - commodities | food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs | - |
Imports - partners | New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2006) | - |
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 |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4% (2005) | - |
International organization participation | ACP, FAO, IFAD, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO | - |
Irrigated land | NA | - |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue | - |
Labor force | 663 (2001) | - |
Labor force - by occupation | note: most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | - |
Land use | arable land: 11.54%
permanent crops: 15.38% other: 73.08% (2005) |
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Languages | Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan; English | - |
Legal system | 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 30 April 2005 (next to be held in April 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
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Literacy | definition: NA
total population: 95% male: NA female: NA |
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Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga | body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia |
Map references | Oceania | Political Map of the World |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Military - note | 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 |
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Natural hazards | typhoons | occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches |
Natural resources | fish, arable land | oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules |
Net migration rate | NA | - |
Political parties and leaders | Alliance of Independents or AI; Niue People's Action Party or NPP [Young VIVIAN] | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
Population | 1,492
note: based on data for 2000 and 2001, which indicate a declining population trend that is assumed to continue (July 2007 est.) |
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Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | -0.032% (2007 est.) | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | - |
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) | - |
Sex ratio | NA | - |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | - |
Telephone system | domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island
international: country code - 683 (2001) |
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Telephones - main lines in use | 1,100 (2002 est.) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 400 (2002) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | - |
Terrain | steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau | surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge |
Total fertility rate | NA | - |
Unemployment rate | 12% (2001) | - |