Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/178.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 6.8 KB | 298 lines

@node Header (Niue)
@section Header (Niue)

@display

Affiliation:
  (free association with New Zealand)



@end display

@node Geography (Niue)
@section Geography (Niue)

@display

Location:
  Oceania, 460 km east of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
 total area:
  260 km2
 land area:
  260 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  64 km
Maritime claims:
 exclusive economic zone:   200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
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%
Irrigated land:
  NA km2
Environment:
  subject to typhoons
Note:
  one of world's largest coral islands



@end display

@node People (Niue)
@section People (Niue)

@display

Population:
  1,977 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  -3.66% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  NA births/1,000 population
Death rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate:
  NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  NA years
 male:
  NA years
 female:
  NA years
Total fertility rate:
  NA children born/woman
Nationality:
 noun:   Niuean(s)
 adjective:
  Niuean
Ethnic divisions:
  Polynesian (with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and Tongans)
Religions:
  Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church) 75% - a Protestant church closely related to
  the London Missionary Society, Morman 10%, other 15% (mostly Roman
  Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Languages:
  Polynesian closely related to Tongan and Samoan, English
Literacy:
 total population:
  NA%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  1,000 (1981 est.)
 by occupation:
  most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government
  service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board



@end display

@node Government (Niue)
@section Government (Niue)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  none
 conventional short form:
  Niue
Digraph:
  NE
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:
  19 October 1974 (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, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi established British
  sovereignty)
Political parties and leaders:
  Niue Island Party (NIP), Young VIVIAN
Suffrage:   18 years of age; universal
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) NIP 1, independents 5
Executive branch:
  British monarch, premier, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  unicameral 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 NA 1974)
 Head of Government:
  Acting Premier Young VIVIAN (since the death of Sir Robert R. REX on 12
  December 1992)
Member of:
  ESCAP (associate), SPARTECA, SPC, SPF
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
US 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



@end display

@node Economy (Niue)
@section Economy (Niue)

@display

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.
National product:
  GNP - exchange rate conversion - $2.1 million (1989 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $1,000 (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, coconut products
Agriculture:
  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 (1970-89), $62
  million
Currency:
  1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.9486 (January 1993), 1.8584 (1992),
  1.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989), 1.5244 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March



@end display

@node Communications (Niue)
@section Communications (Niue)

@display

Highways:
  123 km all-weather roads, 106 km access and plantation roads
Ports:
  none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
 total:
  1
 useable:
  1
 with permanent-surface runways:
  1
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:   1
Telecommunications:
  single-line telephone system connects all villages on island; 383
  telephones; 1,000 radio receivers (1987 est.); broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1
  FM, no TV



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Niue)
@section Defense Forces (Niue)

@display

Branches:
  Police Force
Note:
  defense is the responsibility of New Zealand



@end display