NIUE                                                                            
(free association with New Zealand)                                             
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 260 km2; land area: 260 km2                                         
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of                      
Washington, DC                                                                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 64 km                                                                
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
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%                                          
                                                                                
Environment: subject to typhoons                                                
                                                                                
Note: one of world's largest coral islands; located about 460 km                
east of Tonga                                                                   
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 1,908 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.1% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Net migration rate: NA migrants/1,000 population (1991)                         
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: NA years male, NA years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman (1991)                             
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Niuean(s); adjective--Niuean                                 
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Polynesian, with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and             
Tongans                                                                         
                                                                                
Religion: Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church)--a Protestant church                   
closely related to the London Missionary Society 75%, Mormon 10%,               
Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%                   
                                                                                
Language: Polynesian tongue closely related to Tongan and Samoan;               
English                                                                         
                                                                                
Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) but compulsory education                   
age 5 to 14                                                                     
                                                                                
Labor force: 1,000 (1981 est.); most work on family plantations;                
paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue       
Development Board                                                               
                                                                                
Organized labor: NA                                                             
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: none                                                            
                                                                                
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: became a self-governing territory in free                         
association with New Zealand on 19 October 1974                                 
                                                                                
Constitution: 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)                           
                                                                                
Legal system: English common law                                                
                                                                                
National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established                  
British sovereignty), 6 February (1840)                                         
                                                                                
Executive branch: British monarch, premier, Cabinet                             
                                                                                
Legislative branch: Legislative Assembly                                        
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Appeal Court of New Zealand, High Court                        
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),                     
represented by New Zealand Representative John SPRINGFORD (since 1974);         
                                                                                
Head of Government--Premier Sir Robert R. REX (since NA October                 
1974)                                                                           
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal adult at age 18                                             
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Niue Island Party (NIP), Young VIVIAN                                           
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
Legislative Assembly--last held on 8 April 1990 (next to be                     
held March 1993);                                                               
results--percent of vote NA;                                                    
seats--(20 total, 6 elected) independents 5, NIP 1                              
                                                                                
Member of: ESCAP (associate), SPC, SPF                                          
                                                                                
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.                                                                 
                                                                                
GNP: $2.1 million, per capita $1,000; real growth rate NA%                      
(1989 est.)                                                                     
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.6% (1984)                                   
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: NA%                                                          
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $5.5 million; expenditures $6.3 million, including             
capital expenditures of $NA (FY85 est.)                                         
                                                                                
Exports: $175,274 (f.o.b., 1985);                                               
                                                                                
commodities--canned coconut cream, copra, honey, passion fruit                  
products, pawpaw, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts;            
                                                                                
partners--NZ 89%, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia                                 
                                                                                
Imports: $3.8 million (c.i.f., 1985);                                           
                                                                                
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: 1,500 kW capacity; 3 million kWh produced,                         
1,490 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: tourist, handicrafts                                                
                                                                                
Agriculture: copra, coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes;                      
subsistence crops--taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs,         
poultry, beef cattle                                                            
                                                                                
Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral                 
commitments (1970-88), $62 million                                              
                                                                                
Currency: New Zealand dollar (plural--dollars);                                 
1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents                                          
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1--1.6798 (January             
1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989), 1.5244 (1988), 1.6886 (1987), 1.9088       
(1986), 2.0064 (1985)                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March                                                   
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Highways: 123 km all-weather roads, 106 km access and plantation                
roads                                                                           
                                                                                
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only                                            
                                                                                
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway of 1,650 m                            
                                                                                
Telecommunications: single-line telephone system connects all                   
villages on island; 383 telephones; 1,000 radio receivers (1987 est.);          
stations--1 AM, 1 FM, no TV                                                     
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Police Force                                                          
                                                                                
Note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand                              
                                                                                
