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Nigeria (continued) Merchant marine: 28 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 428,116 GRT/680,343 DWT; includes 19 cargo, 1 refrigerated, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 bulk

Civil air: 76 major transport aircraft

Airports: 84 total, 72 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: above-average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in progress; radio relay and cable routes; 155,000 telephones; stations—37 AM, 19 FM, 38 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, domestic, with 19 stations; 1 coaxial submarine cable

Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Police Force

Military manpower: males 15-49, 27,282,248; 15,587,485 fit for military service; 1,263,883 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: 1% of GNP, or $300 million (1990 est.)  Niue (free association with New Zealand)



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Geography

Total area: 260 km²; land area: 260 km²

Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 64 km

Maritime claims:
 * Extended economic zone: 200 nm
 * Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds

Terrain: steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau

Natural resources: fish, arable land

Land use: 61% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 19% forest and woodland; 12% other

Environment: subject to typhoons

Note: one of world's largest coral islands; located about 460 km east of Tonga

People

Population: 2,019 (July 1990), growth rate NA (1990)

Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: NA migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: NA years male, NA years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Niuean(s); adjective—Niuean

Ethnic divisions: Polynesian, with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and Tongans

Religion: 75% Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church)—a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society, 10% Mormon, 5% Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist

Language: Polynesian tongue closely related to Tongan and Samoan; English

Literacy: NA%, but education compulsory between 5 and 14 years of age

Labor force: 1,000 (1981 est.); most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board

Organized labor: NA

Government

Long-form name: none

Type: self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand

Capital: Alofi

Administrative divisions: none

Independence: none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)

Constitution: no formal, written constitution

Legal system: English common law

National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty), 6 February (1840)

Executive branch: British monarch, premier, Cabinet

Legislative branch: 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 1974);

Head of Government—Premier Sir Robert R. REX (since NA October 1974)

Suffrage: universal adult at age 18

Political parties and leaders: Niue People's Action Party, leader NA

Elections: Legislative Assembly—last held on 28 March 1987 (next to be held NA 1990); results—percent of vote NA; seats—(20 total, 6 elected) independents 5, Niue People's Action Party 1

Member of: ESCAP (associate member), SPF

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

Economy

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 the 80% or more of the work force employed in public service. 232