Niuē Fekai
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Ko e Iki he Lagi
Capital		Alofi
Official languages		Niuean, English
Demonym		Niuean
Government		Constitutional monarchy
-	Head of State	Queen Elizabeth II
-	Premier	Hon. Mititaiagimene Young Vivian
Associated state
-	Constitution Act	19 October 1974
Area
-	Total	260 km²  100 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0
Population
-	Jul 2006/2007 estimate	1,679 [1],[2] (n/a)
GDP (PPP)		estimate
-	Total	$7. The flag of Niue was adopted in 1975. It consists of the Union Flag in the upper left corner with a star in the middle of the Union Flag and four stars The Coat of Arms of New Zealand is the official symbol of New Zealand. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's Ko e Iki he Lagi ( The Lord in Heaven) is the National anthem of Niue. See Alofi Island for the island part of Wallis and Futuna. Alofi is the Capital city of the Pacific Ocean An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory The Niuean language or Niue language (Niuean ko e vagahau Niuē) is a Polynesian language belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Premier of Niue is Niue 's Head of government. He or she is elected by the Niue Assembly, and forms a Cabinet consisting of him- or herself and Mititaiagimene Young Vivian (born 1935) is a Niuean politician who has twice been the premier of his country An associated state is the minor partner in a formal free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a (usually larger nation for which no other specific The Schedules of the Niue Constitution Act 1974 form the Niue Constitution. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. M^2 redirects here For other uses see M². CM2 redirects here The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 6 million (not ranked)
Currency		New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Time zone		(UTC-11)
Internet TLD		.nu
Calling code		+683

Niue (pronounced /niːˈʔuːeɪ/, /ˈnjuːeɪ/ in English) is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The New Zealand dollar ( sign: $; code: NZD) is the Currency of New Zealand. ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E An island country is a Country that is wholly confined to an Island, several islands an Island group or several island groups and has no territory on The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions It is commonly known as the "Rock of Polynesia". Natives of the island call it "the Rock". Although self-governing, Niue is in free association with New Zealand, meaning that the Sovereign in Right of New Zealand is also Niue's head of state. An associated state is the minor partner in a formal free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a (usually larger nation for which no other specific New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island TalkCommonewalth realm.--> New Zealand Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state Most diplomatic relations are conducted by New Zealand on Niue's behalf. Niue is located 2,400 kilometres northeast of New Zealand in a triangle between Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The Kingdom of Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands 36 of them inhabited stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean The Cook Islands ( Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The Niuean language and the English language are both taught in schools and used in day-to-day business and communications. The Niuean language or Niue language (Niuean ko e vagahau Niuē) is a Polynesian language belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The people are predominantly Polynesian.

Contents 1 History 2 Politics 3 Geography 4 Defence and foreign affairs 5 Economy 6 Culture 7 Agriculture 8 Sport 9 See also 10 Further reading 11 References 12 External links

History

Main article: History of Niue

Niue was first settled by Polynesian sailors from Samoa in around 900 AD. Niue was first settled by Polynesian Sailors from Samoa in around 900 AD. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ^[1] Further settlers (or invaders) arrived from Tonga in the 16th century. The Kingdom of Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands 36 of them inhabited stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles ^[2]

Until the beginning of the eighteenth century, there appears to have been no national government or national leader in Niue. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system Before that time, chiefs and heads of family exercised authority over segments of the population. Around 1700 the concept and practice of kingship appears to have been introduced through contact with Samoa or Tonga. From then on, a succession of patu-iki (kings) ruled the island, the first of whom was Puni-mata. Niue today is a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand, and recognises the Queen of New Zealand as monarch Tui-toga, who reigned from 1875 to 1887, was the first Christian king of Niue. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings ^[3]

The first European to sight Niue was Captain James Cook in 1774. Captain James Cook FRS RN ( – 14 February 1779) was an English Explorer, Navigator and Cook made three attempts to land on the island but was refused permission to do so by the Polynesian inhabitants. He named the island "Savage Island" because, legend has it, the natives that "greeted" him were painted in what appeared to Cook and his crew to be blood. However, the substance on their teeth was that of the red banana and not blood. Red bananas are a variety of Bananas with a reddish-purple skin

For the next couple of centuries the island remained known as Savage Island, until its original name Niu ē (coconut behold) regained use. Yet its official name is still Niuē fekai (wild Niuē).

The next notable European visitors were from the London Missionary Society and arrived in 1846 on the "Messenger of Peace". The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational Missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and After many years of trying to land a European missionary on Niue, a Niuean named Nukai Peniamina was taken away and trained as a Pastor at the Malua Theological College in Samoa. Nukai Peniamina was a Niuean who brought Christianity to the island of Niue in 1846 Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean Peniamina returned as a missionary with the help of Toimata Fakafitifonua. He was finally allowed to land in Uluvehi Mutalau after a number of attempts in other villages had failed. Mutalau is a village on Niue, with a population of 133 as of the 2001 census The Chiefs of Mutalau village allowed Peniamina to land and assigned over 60 warriors to protect him day and night at the fort in Fupiu. Mutalau is a village on Niue, with a population of 133 as of the 2001 census Christianity was first taught to the Mutalau people before it was spread to all the villages on Niue; originally, other major villages opposed the introduction of Christianity and had sought to kill Peniamina. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Mutalau is a village on Niue, with a population of 133 as of the 2001 census Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The people from the village of Hakupu, although the last village to receive Christianity, came and asked for a "word of god"; hence their village was renamed "Ha Kupu Atua" meaning "any word of god", or "Hakupu" for short.

In 1887, King Fata-a-iki, who reigned from 1887 to 1896, offered to cede sovereignty over his country to the British Empire, fearing the consequences of annexation by a less benevolent colonial power. Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The offer was not accepted until 1900. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar

Niue was a British protectorate for a time, but the UK's involvement ended in 1901 when New Zealand annexed the island. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Independence in the form of self-government was granted by the New Zealand parliament with the 1974 constitution. TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A  parliament is a Legislature, especially in those The Schedules of the Niue Constitution Act 1974 form the Niue Constitution. Robert Rex, CMG OBE (who was ethnically part European, part native) was appointed the country's first Premier, a position he continued to hold through re-election until his death 18 years later. Sir Robert Richmond Rex, KBE, CMG, (b 25 January 1909 - 12 December 1992) was Premier of the Pacific island Rex became the first Niuean to receive knighthood in 1984.

In January 2004, Niue was hit by Cyclone Heta, which killed two people and caused extensive damage to the entire island, as well as wiping out most of the south of the capital, Alofi. Cyclone Heta was a powerful Category 5 Tropical cyclone that caused catastrophic damage to the islands of Tonga, Niue, and American Samoa

Politics

Main article: Politics of Niue

The Niue Constitution Act vests executive authority in Her Majesty the Queen in Right of New Zealand and the Governor-General of New Zealand. Politics of Niue takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Chief Minister is the Head The Schedules of the Niue Constitution Act 1974 form the Niue Constitution. TalkCommonewalth realm.--> New Zealand The Governor-General of New Zealand (Te Kawana Tianara o Aotearoa is the representative of the Sovereign in right of New Zealand (currently Queen The Niue Constitution specifies that in everyday practice, sovereignty is exercised by the Niue Cabinet of Ministers of the Premier of Niue and three other ministers. Members of the Niue Cabinet of Ministers for each Premier at the duration of their term in office The Premier of Niue is Niue 's Head of government. He or she is elected by the Niue Assembly, and forms a Cabinet consisting of him- or herself and The premier and ministers are members of the Niue Legislative Assembly, the nation's parliament. The Niue Assembly is the legislature of Niue. It consists of 20 members 6 elected on a common roll and 14 representatives of the villages

The assembly consists of twenty democratically elected members, fourteen of whom are elected by the electors of each village constituency. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures goals or loyalty The remaining six are elected by all registered voters in all constituencies. Electors must be New Zealand citizens, resident for at least three months, and candidates must have been electors, and resident for twelve months. It is a requirement under law that anyone who was born in Niue must register on the electoral roll, however it is up to the elector whether to vote or not to vote on polling day. The candidates that have equal votes following the recount of votes, the winning candidate will be drawn out from the hat, this a legitimate and legal procedure. The Speaker is elected by the assembly and is the first official to be elected in the first sitting of the Legislative Assembly following an election. The new Speaker calls for nominations for the Premier; the candidate with the most votes from the twenty members is elected. The Premier then selects three other members to form the Cabinet of Ministers, the executive arm of government. The other two organs of government, following the Westminster model, are the Legislative Assembly and the Judiciary. The Westminster system is a democratic Parliamentary system of Government modelled after the British government (the Parliament of the United Terms before new elections last three years, with the next election due on 7 June 2008 as part of the Niuean general election, 2008. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Parliamentary elections were held in Niue on June 7, 2008. They were initially expected to be held in April but were delayed until June 2008

All Members of Parliament, past or present, are entitled to State Funerals. State Funerals may also be given as well to any distinguished individual offered the honour by the Premier and his Cabinet.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Niue

See also: List of villages in Niue

Niue is a 269 km² island located in the southern Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga. Niue is a small Island in the South Pacific Ocean, to the east of Tonga. List of Villages in Niue, with population and area This table is exhaustive there are exactly 14 villages which are simultaneously administrative subdivisions The geographic coordinates of Niue are 19°03′48″S, 169°52′11″W.

There are three geographically outlying coral reefs within the Exclusive Economic Zone that do not have any land area:

1. Beveridge Reef, at 20°00'S, 167°48'W, 240 km southeast, submerged atoll drying during low tide, 9. Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many In nautical terminology a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water (six fathoms or less at low water Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ) is a seazone over which a State has special rights over the exploration and use of marine Beveridge Reef is located in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Niue An atoll (pronounced /ˈætʌl/ is an island of Coral that encircles a Lagoon partially or completely 5 km North-South, 7. 5 km East-West, total area 56 km², no land area, lagoon 11 meters deep
2. Antiope Reef, at 18°15'S, 168°24'W, 180 km southeast, is a circular plateau approximately 400 meters in diameter, with a least depth of 9. 5 meters
3. Haran Reef (Harans Reef), at 21°33'S, 168°55'W, reported to break furiously, 294 km southeast
4. Albert Meyer Reef, at 20°53'S, 172°19'W, almost 5 km long and wide, least depth 3 meters, 326 km southwest, not officially claimed by Niue
5. Haymet Rocks, at 26°S, 160°W, 1273 km ESE, existence doubtful

Niue is one of the world's largest coral islands. Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many The terrain of Niue consists of steep limestone cliffs along the coast with a central plateau rising to about 60 metres above sea level. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 In Geography and Geology, a cliff is a significant vertical or near vertical rock exposure The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the Ocean. In Geology and Earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting A coral reef surrounds the island, with the only major break in the reef being in the central western coast, close to the capital, Alofi. A notable feature of the island is the number of limestone caves found close to the coast.

The island is roughly oval in shape (with a diameter of about 18 kilometres), with two large bays indenting the western coast (Alofi Bay in the centre and Avatele Bay in the south). Geometry, a diameter of a Circle is any straight Line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose Endpoints are on the The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Avatele, (formerly known as Oneonepata Matavaihala, is a village on the southwest coast of Niue with a population of roughly 200 residents as of late 2007 Between these is the promontory of Halagigie Point. A small peninsula, TePā Point (or Blowhole Point), is located close to the settlement of Avatele in the southwest. Avatele, (formerly known as Oneonepata Matavaihala, is a village on the southwest coast of Niue with a population of roughly 200 residents as of late 2007 Most of the island's population resides close to the west coast, around the capital, and in the northwest.

The island has a tropical climate, with most rainfall occurring between November and April. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of

Some of the soils on the island are geochemically very unusual. They are extremely highly weathered tropical soils, with high levels of iron and aluminium oxides (oxisol), but as established by the research of New Zealand scientists starting with Sir Ernest Marsden, they contain surprisingly high levels of natural radioactivity. Oxisols are an order in USDA soil taxonomy, best known for their occurrence in Tropical Rain forest, 15-25 degrees north and south of the Equator Sir Ernest Marsden ( 19 February 1889 - 15 December 1970) was a English - New Zealand Physicist. There is almost no uranium, but the radionucleides Th-230 and Pa-231 head the decay chains. Uranium (jʊˈreɪniəm is a silvery-gray Metallic Chemical element in the Thorium (ˈθɔːriəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Th and Atomic number 90 Protactinium (ˌproʊtækˈtɪniəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Pa and Atomic number 91 This is the same distribution of elements as found naturally on very deep seabeds, but the geochemical evidence suggests that in the case of Niue the origin is extreme weathering of coral and brief sea submergence 120,000 years ago. Weathering is the decomposition of earth rocks, Soils and their Minerals through direct contact with the planet's Atmosphere. A process, "endothermal upwelling" in which mild natural volcanic heat entrains deep seawater up through the porous coral may also contribute. ^[4]

No adverse health effects from the radioactivity have been demonstrated and calculations show that level of radioactivity would probably be much too low to be detected in the population.

These unusual soils are very rich in phosphate, but it is not accessible to plants, being in the very insoluble form of iron phosphate, or crandallite. A phosphate, an Inorganic chemical, is a salt of Phosphoric acid.

It is thought that rather similar radioactive soils may exist on Lifou and Mare (island) near New Caledonia, and Rennell in the Solomon Islands, but no other locations are known. Lifou is a commune in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Maré Island (Île Maré is the second-largest of the Loyalty Islands, in the Archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France For the former North American fur-trading district see New Caledonia (Canada, and for the Scottish colony in Panama see Darien scheme. The local name for Rennell Island is Mungava and is the main island of two inhabited islands that make up the Rennell and Bellona Province in the Solomon Islands The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands

Defence and foreign affairs

Niue has been self-governing, in free association with New Zealand, since 1974. Niue is fully responsible for its internal affairs. Having no military or the resources to maintain a global diplomatic network, New Zealand retains responsibility for the foreign affairs and defence of Niue, but these obligations are only exercised at the request of the government of Niue. Defence The island mainly interacts with the world through its diplomatic mission in Wellington, New Zealand.

Niue is also a member of the South Pacific Forum and a number of regional and international agencies. The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental Organization which aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific It is not a member of the United Nations, but is a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Ottawa Treaty. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS) also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty is the international agreement that resulted Annex I and Annex II Countries and Developing Countries Signatories to the UNFCCC are split into three groups Annex I countries (industrialized countries The Ottawa Treaty or the Mine Ban Treaty, formally the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use Stockpiling Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their

Niue established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China on December 12, 2007. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES ^[5]

Niue is also a party to the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement, and currently negotiating for the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union (EU-PACP), and will be starting soon the negotiations on the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations with New Zealand and Australia. The Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA aims to establish a free-trade area between fourteen of the Pacific Islands Forum countries Economic Partnership Agreements are a scheme to create a Free trade area (FTA between the European Union and the ACP countries. The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER is an umbrella agreement between members of the Pacific Islands Forum (the Forum Island Countries plus

Economy

Main article: Economy of Niue

Niue's economy is rather small, with a GDP of around $7. The economy of Niue is heavily dependent on aid from New Zealand. See Alofi Island for the island part of Wallis and Futuna. Alofi is the Capital city of the Pacific Ocean 6 million estimated in 2000. Most economic activity revolves around the Government, as the Government was traditionally in charge of organising and managing the affairs of the new country since 1974. However, since the economy of Niue has reached a stage where state regulation may now give way to the private sector in Niue's development, there is an ongoing effort to develop the private sector. The Niue Chamber of Commerce is the body representing some of the private businesses on Niue. Following Cyclone Heta the Government made a major commitment towards rehabilitating and developing the private sector in Niue. Cyclone Heta was a powerful Category 5 Tropical cyclone that caused catastrophic damage to the islands of Tonga, Niue, and American Samoa The Government allocated $1 million for the private sector, which was spent on helping businesses devastated by the cyclone, and on the construction of the Fonuakula Industrial Park. The Fonuakula Industrial Park (FIP is located near the Niue Hanan International Airport it offered about 20 warehouse bays to be rented out to the private businesses to use This industrial park is now completed and some businesses are already operating from it. The Fonuakula Industrial Park is managed by the Niue Business Centre, a quasi-governmental organisation providing advisory services to the businesses on Niue. The Fonuakula Industrial Park (FIP is located near the Niue Hanan International Airport it offered about 20 warehouse bays to be rented out to the private businesses to use

Most Niuean families grow their own food crops for subsistence and some are sold at the Niue Makete in Alofi while some are exported to their families in New Zealand. The Niuean taro is known in Samoa as Niue taro and in international markets as pink taro. Taro (from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages) more rarely kalo (from Hawaiian) and gabi in The Philippines, is a Niue also exports taro to the New Zealand market. The Niue taro is a natural variety and is very resistant to pests.

The Niue Government and the Reef Group from New Zealand started two joint ventures in 2003 and 2004 involving the development of the fisheries and noni (Morinda citrifolia, a small tree with edible fruit) in Niue. Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, beach mulberry, Tahitian noni, cheese fruit The Niue Fish Processors, Ltd. (NFP) is a joint venture company processing fresh fish, mainly tuna (yellow fin, big eye and albacore), for export to the overseas markets. NFP operates out of their state-of-the-art fish plant in Amanau Alofi South which was completed and opened in October 2004, where they have facilities for freezing fish, blast freezers and ice towers for producing ice. The fish plant is self-sufficient: they have their own power generators. Currently NFP use desalinated water for their operations. At the moment there are four fishing boats catching fish with more boats expected to join the fleet soon. Niue is greatly concerned with the sustainability of the industry, limiting the number of boats fishing in Niue waters to less than ten at any time. The Niue noni joint venture operates out of the Vaiea farm, which used to be a Government livestock farm and was later used as a quarantine station for alpacas airlifted from Peru to Australia, a scheme which has now ceased. The company planted the biggest noni plantation in the southern hemisphere, consisting of over thirty thousand plants. This may be the first time noni has been commercially cultivated in an open field, because noni usually grows in the wild on Niue. There is also a factory at the farm for extracting the juice of the noni which is exported to New Zealand for bottling.

In August 2005, an Australian mining company, Yamarna Goldfields, suggested that Niue might have the world's largest deposit of uranium. By early September, these hopes were seen as overoptimistic,^[6] and in late October the company cancelled its plans to mine, announcing that exploration drilling had identified nothing of commercial value. ^[7] The Australian Securities and Investments Commission filed charges in January 2007 against two directors of the company, now called Mining Projects Group Ltd, alleging that their conduct was deceptive and they engaged in insider trading. Insider trading is the trading of a Corporation 's Stock or other securities (e ^[8] There is an Australian company that had been issued a mineral prospecting license in the early 1970s which is still very active in doing research and collecting data on potential mineral deposits on Niue.

Remittances from Niuean expatriates used to be one of the major sources of foreign exchange in the 1970s and early 1980s. The continuous migration of Niueans to New Zealand, however, has shifted most members of nuclear and extended families to New Zealand, removing the need to send remittances back home. In the late 1990s PFTAC conducted studies on the Niue balance of payments, which confirms that Niueans are receiving little remittances but are sending more monies overseas, mainly for paying for imported goods and for the education of Niuean students sent to study in New Zealand.

Foreign aid, principally from New Zealand, has been the island's principal source of income. Tourism has been identified as one of the three priority economic sectors (the other two are Fisheries and Agriculture) for economic development in Niue. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel In 2006 estimated visitor expenditure reached $1. 6million making Tourism a major export industry for Niue. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Niue will continue to receive direct support from the Government and overseas donor agencies. Air New Zealand is the sole airline serving Niue, flying to Niue once a week. Air New Zealand Limited (, Air New Zealand is a scheduled passenger Airline based in Auckland, New Zealand, and the national Flag carrier It took over after Polynesian Airlines stopped flying in November 2005. There is currently a tourism development strategy to increase the number of rooms available to overseas tourists at a sustainable level. Niue is also trying to attract foreign investors to invest in the tourism industry of Niue by offering import and company tax concessions as incentives. The number of tourists visiting Niue is increasing, climbing from 1939 in 2000 to 1446 in 2001, 2084 in 2002, 2706 in 2003, 2550 in 2004, and 2793 in 2005. The main purpose of their visits in 2005 were: holiday (1236), business (664), visiting friends and relatives (591) and other reasons (302). In 2005 tourists came from the following countries: Australia (304), New Zealand (1529), the South Pacific (296), Other Pacific (99), USA (136), Canada (45), UK (99), Germany (31), France (37), Other European countries (128), Japan (8) and other Asian countries (36).

Government expenses consistently exceed revenue to a substantial degree, with aid from New Zealand subsidizing public service payrolls. The government also generates some revenue, mainly from income tax, import tax and the lease of phone lines. The government briefly flirted with the creation of "offshore banking", but, under pressure from the US Treasury, agreed to end its support for schemes designed to minimize tax in countries like New Zealand. Niue now provides an automated Companies Registration (www.companies.gov.nu), which is administered by the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development.

Niue has licensed the .nu top-level domain on the Internet to a private company . The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks NU Domain, but the company and the Government of Niue now dispute the amount and type of compensation that Niue receives from the licensor. A controversy or dispute is a commencement of a conflict between statements of accepted fact and a new or unaccepted proposal that disagrees with argues against [3] The Government of Niue is planning to setup and operate its own internet service provider (ISP) to ensure that Government communications are independent and secured. The sole ISP in Niue is operated by the Internet Users Society of Niue (IUSN) which is a subsidiary of . An Internet service provider ( ISP, also called Internet access provider or IAP) is a company which primarily offers their customers access to the Internet NU Domain, not all the villages in Niue have access to the Internet despite claims by IUSN, of Niue becoming the first WiFiNation. ^[9]

In 2003 the Government made a commitment to develop and expand the vanilla production in Niue with the support of the NZAID. Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. The New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID is the New Zealand Government ’s international aid and development agency Vanilla grows wild in Niue for a long time. Despite the setback caused by the devastation of Cyclone Heta is early 2004, there was ongoing work for the vanilla production. Cyclone Heta was a powerful Category 5 Tropical cyclone that caused catastrophic damage to the islands of Tonga, Niue, and American Samoa The expansion plan started with the employment of unemployed or underemployed labour force to help clear land, plant supporting trees and plant vanilla vines. The approach to accessing land include having each household interested to have a small plot of around half to 1 acre to be cleared and planted with vanilla vines. There are a lot of planting material for supporting trees to meet demand for the expansion of vanilla plantations, however there is a severe shortage of vanilla vines for planting stock. There is of course the existing vanilla vines, but cutting them for planting stock will reduce or stop vanilla from producing beans. At the moment the focus is in the areas of harvesting and marketing.

Niue's economy suffered from the devastating tropical Cyclone Heta on 4 January 2004. Cyclone Heta was a powerful Category 5 Tropical cyclone that caused catastrophic damage to the islands of Tonga, Niue, and American Samoa Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Niue Integrated Strategic Plan(NISP) is the national development plan of Niue, setting national priorities for development. These are the strategic objectives of the Niue Integrated Strategic Plan These are the strategic objectives of the Niue Integrated Strategic Plan Cyclone Heta took away about two years from the implementation of the NISP, while national efforts concentrate on the recovery efforts. These are the strategic objectives of the Niue Integrated Strategic Plan As of 2008 Niue has yet to fully recover from the devastation of Cyclone Heta. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Niue uses the New Zealand dollar. The New Zealand dollar ( sign: $; code: NZD) is the Currency of New Zealand.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Niue

Arguably Niue's most prominent artist and writer is John Pule. Pasifika is a Pacific Islands -themed festival held annually in Western Springs, Auckland City, New Zealand. John Pule, born in Liku, Niue in 1962, is a Niuean Artist, Novelist and Poet. Author of The Shark That Ate the Sun, he paints both on canvass and on traditional tapa cloth. Tapa cloth (or simply tapa) is a bark cloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga and Samoa, but as far afield as ^[10] In 2005, he co-wrote Hiapo: Past and Present in Niuean Barkcloth, a study of a traditional Niuean artform, with Australian writer and anthropologist Nicholas Thomas. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. ^[11]

Agriculture

Agriculture is very important to the lifestyle of Niueans and the economy of Niue. Subsistence agriculture is very much part of Niue's agriculture, where nearly all the households have plantations of taro. Taro (from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages) more rarely kalo (from Hawaiian) and gabi in The Philippines, is a Taro is a stable food of Niue, and the pink taro now dominant in the taro markets in New Zealand and Australia, is an intellectual property of Niue. This is one of the natural taro varieties on Niue, and has a strong resistance to pests.

Tapioca or cassava, yams and kumaras also grow very well on Niue, as do different varieties of bananas. Tapioca is a flavorless colorless odorless Starch Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) The sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas) is a Dicotyledonous plant which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae Copra, passionfruit and limes dominated exports in the 1970s, but as of 2008 vanilla, noni and taros are Niue's main export crops. Copra is the dried meat or kernel of the Coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam word kopra for dried coconut For the German pop group see Passion Fruit (band. Passiflora edulis or passion fruit is a plant cultivated commercially for Lime is a term referring to a number of different fruits (generally Citruses, both Species and hybrids, which are typically round green to yellow 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, beach mulberry, Tahitian noni, cheese fruit

In 1989 Niue conducted its first Agricultural Census, this was carried out with the assistance of the FAO refer http://www4.fao.org/cgi-bin/faobib.exe?vq_query=D%3DNIUE&database=faobib&search_type=view_query_search&table=mona&page_header=ephmon&lang=eng.

Sport

See also: Rugby union in Niue

Rugby union is a popular sport in Niue. Niue is a tier three rugby union playing nation They began playing international rugby in the 1950s and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short

See also

• Music of Niue
• Communications in Niue
• Demographics of Niue
• Transportation in Niue
• Niuean language
• Niuean diplomatic missions

Further reading

• HEKAU, Maihetoe & al. Niue is a Polynesian island in the South Pacific. Though independent it is in free association with New Zealand. Communications in Niue include postal, Telephone, Internet, Press and Radio. Transport in Niue consists of a road network and an airport A ring road around the island's coast is the major route but roads also exist across the central plateau linking Alofi The Niuean language or Niue language (Niuean ko e vagahau Niuē) is a Polynesian language belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup Niue is a small Pacific island country that is in a state of free association with New Zealand , Niue: A History of the Island, Suva: Institute of Pacific Studies (USP) & the government of Niue, 1982 [no ISBN]
• TREGEAR, Edward, "Niue: or Savage Island", The Journal of the Polynesian Society, vol. Suva is the Capital and largest city of Fiji. It is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Central The University of the South Pacific ( USP) is a Public university with a number of locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Edward Robert Tregear (1846-1931 was a New Zealand public servant and scholar Polynesian Society is a non-profit organization based at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, dedicated to the scholarly study of the history ethnography and 2, March 1893, pp. 11-16

References

External links

• Niue Film Commission
• Niue Tourism
• Niuean Government official site
• Niue Island.nu portal for the people of Niue
• Open Directory Project - Niue directory category
• CIA World Factbook - Niue

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