Niue

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia   Niue at a glance Did you know? There are far more Niueans living in New Zealand than in Niue. There are less then 1500 Niueans living in Niue and about 22,000 living in New Zealand. Region Oceania , Pacific Population 1,444 (July 2008 estimate) Land Geography: Steep limestone cliffs along coast and central plateau Climate: Tropical People Religion: Christian Language: Niuean, English Economy GDP per person (PPP): $5,800 (2003 estimate) GDP by sector: agriculture ( 23.5%), industry ( 26.9%), services ( 49.5%) (2003 estimate) Government Self-governing parliamentary democracy Land Physical geography Niue is a coral island of only 260 square kilometres and is located about 480 kilometres east of Tonga and 2,400 kilometres north-east of New Zealand. It has steep limestone cliffs along the coast which rise 20-30 metres out of the sea, and a central plateau. The highest point, at 68 metres, is near Mutalau in the north. A rugged fringing reef, which is in places over 100 metres wide, surrounds the island. Climate Niue experiences a tropical climate moderated by southeast trade winds. It is hot, wet and humid from December to March, with an average temperature of 28 ° C and often torrential downpours. Although there is an average of 2000 millimetres of rain each year, droughts are common. Environment Anono Marine Reserve and Huvalu Forest Conservation Area are protected areas. There are few indigenous birds and animals. People The 1,444 people currently living on Niue are located in the 14 villages on the coast around the island. The population peaked in 1966 with 5,200 residents. Since then the population has been slowly declining. The capital city of Niue is Alofi. People Culture and identity The population consists of 78% Niuean people and 10% other Pacific islander people, with the rest of the people of European, Asian or mixed origin. Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan, and English are both spoken. Each of the village living communities has at least one church building, a shared community facility and a village green. Health Life expectancy for both men and women is 69.5 years. Infant mortality is 17.5 per 1000 live births Religion and beliefs Roughly 80% of the population are Christian, predominantly Ekalesia Niue, or belong to the Niuean Church, a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society. Food and shelter Food staples are coconut, yams, taro, sweet potato, breadfruit, cassava, crab and shellfish. Pigs and chicken are cooked alongside root vegetables in a large earth oven, or ‘umu' . Tropical fruits grown include bananas, coconuts, limes, passion fruit, papayas and watermelons. Honey is also produced on Niue . A favourite dish is sliced taro, layered with papaya and baked in coconut cream. Economy Wealth and poverty Niue 's economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population. Fishing licences and the international lease of Niue 's unique four-digit telephone numbers are important income earners for the country. New Zealand provides substantial economic and administrative assistance to Niue . Education and work Most people in Niue work on family farms producing just enough for their needs. Paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and from the Niue Development Board. Industries and products The agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence farming, although some cash crops are grown for export. Other agricultural products consist of coconuts, passionfruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes, pigs, poultry and beef cattle. There are some small factories processing passionfruit, lime oil, honey and coconut cream. Other industries include tourism and handicrafts. The sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is an important source of revenue. Trade Export commodities are canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passionfruit products, pawpaw, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, and handicrafts. The main export partners are New Zealand , Fiji , the Cook Islands and Australia . Import commodities are food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals and drugs. Import partners are New Zealand , Fiji , Japan , Samoa , Australia and the United States . Achievements and challenges Niue faces formidable development constraints. These include isolation, size, poor soils, limited water supply and declining population. Progress is further hampered by severe cyclones about every ten years – most recently, Cyclone Ofa in 1990 and Heta in 2004. Links with Australia Australia and Niue enjoy a friendly relationship, based on shared membership of Pacific regional organisations, a small aid program and trade. Australia currently provides bilateral assistance of about $840,000 annually to support Niue 's efforts to promote economic development and growth, and increase in self-reliance. Main sources: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html http://www20.sbs.com.au/worldguide/index.php http://hdr.undp.org/ http://www.dfat.gov.au/

The flag of Niue is 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

Cyclones, such as Heta (January 2004), occasionally devastate the island's infrastructure, including housing and tourist facilities. Photo: NZAID