world
factbook
Niue
Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the adjacent Cook Islands, has caused it to be separately administered by New Zealand. The population of the island has trended downwards over recent decades (from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to 1,618 in 2017) with substantial emigration to New Zealand 2,400 km to the southwest.

geography

location

Oceania
19.2° S, 169. 52° W
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga

area

260 sq km
land
260 sq km
water
0 sq km

land boundaries

0 km

coastline

64 km

climate

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds

terrain

steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau

elevation

lowest point
Pacific Ocean
0
highest point
unnamed elevation
1.4

natural resources

  • arable land
  • fish

land use

arable land
3.8 %
permanent crops
11.5 %
permanent pasture
3.8 %
forest
71.2 %
other
9.7 %

population distribution

population distributed around the peripheral coastal areas of the island

people

population

  • 2,000
  • 232
    global rank

nationality

  • Niuean(s)
    noun
  • Niuean
    adjective

ethnic groups

Niuean
66.5 %
part-Niuean
13.4 %
non-Niuean
20.1 %

languages

  • Niuean
    official; a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan
  • Niuean and English
  • English
    official
  • Niuean and others
  • other

religions

Ekalesia Niue
67 %
other Protestant
3 %
Mormon
10 %
Roman Catholic
10 %
Jehovah's Witnesses
2 %
other
6 %
none
2 %

urban population

46.2 %

major urban areas

  • Alofi
    pop. 1,000

adult obesity rate

  • 50%
    percent of adults
  • 6
    global rank

government

government type

parliamentary democracy

capital

Alofi
19.1 S, 169.55 W

independence

national holidays

  • Waitangi Day
    6 February

legal system

English common law

age of suffrage

18

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 star on a blue disk in the center and a smaller star on each arm of the bold red cross; the larger star stands for Niue, the smaller stars recall the Southern Cross constellation on the New Zealand flag and symbolize links with that country; yellow represents the bright sunshine of Niue and the warmth and friendship between Niue and New Zealand

national anthem

"Ko e Iki he Lagi" (The Lord in Heaven)

economy

overview

The economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population. The agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence gardening, although some cash crops are grown for export. Industry consists primarily of small factories for processing passion fruit, lime oil, honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is an important source of revenue. 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. Economic aid allocation from New Zealand in FY13/14 was US$10.1 million. Niue has cut government expenditures by reducing the public service by almost half. 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 financial services, although the International Banking Repeal Act of 2002 resulted in the termination of all offshore banking licenses.

GDP

10,010,000 USD
2003

agriculture products

  • coconuts
  • passion fruit
  • honey
  • limes
  • taro
  • yams
  • cassava
  • manioc
  • tapioca
  • sweet potatoes
  • pigs
  • poultry
  • beef cattle

budget

  • 15,070,000
    revenue (USD)
  • 16,329,999.999,999,998
    expenditures (USD)

communications

broadcast media

1 government-owned TV station with many of the programs supplied by Television New Zealand; 1 government-owned radio station broadcasting in AM and FM (2019)

internet

.nu
country code

    users

  • 1,090
    total
  • 91.6
    % of population
  • 225
    global rank

energy

This entry doesn't have any available energy data.

transportation

air transport

    airports

  • 1
    total
  • 1
    paved

roadways

234 km
total length

military

This entry doesn't have any available military data.