Niue: Background & Geography
| Introduction | Niue |
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Background:
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Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered. The population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to about 2,100 in 2004), with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest. |
| Geography | Niue |
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Location:
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Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga |
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Geographic coordinates:
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19 02 S, 169 52 W |
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Map references:
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Oceania |
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Area:
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total: 260 sq km
water: 0 sq km land: 260 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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64 km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical; modified by southeast trade winds |
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Terrain:
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steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 19.23%
permanent crops: 7.69% other: 73.08% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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typhoons |
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Environment - current issues:
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increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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one of world's largest coral islands |