202 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
202 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
NIUE
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(free association with New Zealand)
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 260 km2; land area: 260 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of
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Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 64 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds
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Terrain: steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
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Natural resources: fish, arable land
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Land use: arable land 61%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures
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4%; forest and woodland 19%; other 12%
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Environment: subject to typhoons
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Note: one of world's largest coral islands; located about 460 km
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east of Tonga
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PEOPLE
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Population: 1,908 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.1% (1991)
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Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: NA migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: NA years male, NA years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Niuean(s); adjective--Niuean
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Ethnic divisions: Polynesian, with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and
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Tongans
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Religion: Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church)--a Protestant church
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closely related to the London Missionary Society 75%, Mormon 10%,
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Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%
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Language: Polynesian tongue closely related to Tongan and Samoan;
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English
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Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) but compulsory education
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age 5 to 14
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Labor force: 1,000 (1981 est.); most work on family plantations;
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paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue
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Development Board
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Organized labor: NA
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: none
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Type: self-governing territory in free association with New
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Zealand; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand
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retains responsibility for external affairs
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Capital: Alofi
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Administrative divisions: none
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Independence: became a self-governing territory in free
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association with New Zealand on 19 October 1974
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Constitution: 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)
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Legal system: English common law
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National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established
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British sovereignty), 6 February (1840)
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Executive branch: British monarch, premier, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: Legislative Assembly
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Judicial branch: Appeal Court of New Zealand, High Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
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represented by New Zealand Representative John SPRINGFORD (since 1974);
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Head of Government--Premier Sir Robert R. REX (since NA October
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1974)
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Suffrage: universal adult at age 18
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Political parties and leaders:
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Niue Island Party (NIP), Young VIVIAN
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Elections:
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Legislative Assembly--last held on 8 April 1990 (next to be
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held March 1993);
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results--percent of vote NA;
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seats--(20 total, 6 elected) independents 5, NIP 1
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Member of: ESCAP (associate), SPC, SPF
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Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing territory in free
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association with New Zealand)
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Flag: yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
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quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars--a
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large one on a blue disk in the center and a smaller one on each arm of
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the bold red cross
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy is heavily dependent on aid from New
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Zealand. Government expenditures regularly exceed revenues, with the
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shortfall made up by grants from New Zealand--the grants are used to pay
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wages to public employees. The agricultural sector consists mainly of
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subsistence gardening, although some cash crops are grown for export.
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Industry consists primarily of small factories to process passion fruit,
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lime oil, honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign
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collectors is an important source of revenue. The island in recent years
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has suffered a serious loss of population because of migration of Niueans
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to New Zealand.
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GNP: $2.1 million, per capita $1,000; real growth rate NA%
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(1989 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.6% (1984)
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Unemployment rate: NA%
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Budget: revenues $5.5 million; expenditures $6.3 million, including
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capital expenditures of $NA (FY85 est.)
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Exports: $175,274 (f.o.b., 1985);
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commodities--canned coconut cream, copra, honey, passion fruit
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products, pawpaw, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts;
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partners--NZ 89%, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia
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Imports: $3.8 million (c.i.f., 1985);
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commodities--food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery,
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fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs;
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partners--NZ 59%, Fiji 20%, Japan 13%, Western Samoa, Australia, US
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External debt: $NA
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: 1,500 kW capacity; 3 million kWh produced,
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1,490 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: tourist, handicrafts
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Agriculture: copra, coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes;
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subsistence crops--taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs,
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poultry, beef cattle
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Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
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commitments (1970-88), $62 million
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Currency: New Zealand dollar (plural--dollars);
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1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1--1.6798 (January
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1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989), 1.5244 (1988), 1.6886 (1987), 1.9088
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(1986), 2.0064 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 123 km all-weather roads, 106 km access and plantation
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roads
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Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
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Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway of 1,650 m
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Telecommunications: single-line telephone system connects all
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villages on island; 383 telephones; 1,000 radio receivers (1987 est.);
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stations--1 AM, 1 FM, no TV
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Police Force
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Note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
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