Overview
Voyagers from Samoa first settled on Niue around A.D. 900, and a second main group of settlers came from Tonga around 1500. With only one reliable source of fresh water, conflict was high on the island. Samoan and Tongan customs heavily influenced Niuean culture, including the formation of an island-wide elected kingship system in the early 1700s. In 1774, British explorer James COOK landed on the island and named it Savage Island because of the Niueans' hostility. Missionaries arrived in 1830 but were also largely unsuccessful at staying on the island until 1846, when a Niuean trained as a Samoan missionary returned to the island and provided a space from which the missionaries could work. In addition to converting the population, the missionaries worked to stop the violent conflicts and helped establish the first parliament in 1849. Great Britain established a protectorate over Niue in 1900. The following year, Niue was annexed to New Zealand and included as part of the Cook Islands. Niue’s remoteness and cultural and linguistic differences with the Cook Islands led New Zealand to separate Niue into its own administration in 1904. The island became internally self-governing in 1974; it is an independent member of international organizations but is in free association with New Zealand, which is responsible for defense and foreign affairs. In September 2023, the US recognized Niue as a sovereign and independent state.
Geography
- Location
- Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga
- Total Area
- 260 sq km
- Climate
- tropical; modified by southeast trade winds
- Terrain
- steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
- Natural Resources
- arable land, fish
- Coastline
- 64 km
- Land Borders
- 0 km
People & Society
- Population
- 1,815 (2024 est.)
- Languages
- Niuean 46% (official, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan), Niuean and English 32%, English (official) 11%, Niuean and others 5%, other 6% (2011 est.)
- Religions
- Ekalesia Niue 61.7%, Latter Day Saints 8.7%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, other 8.2%, not stated 5.1%, none 3.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4% (2017 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Niuean 65.4%, part-Niuean 14%, non-Niuean 20.6% (2017 est.)
- Literacy Rate
- 99.5% (2022 est.)
- Urbanization
- 48.2% of total population (2023)
Government
- Government Type
- parliamentary democracy
- Capital
- Alofi
- Independence
- 19 October 1974 (Niue became a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand)
- Constitution
- several previous (New Zealand colonial statutes); latest 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act 1974)
- Legal System
- English common law
- Executive Branch
- King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor-General of New Zealand Cindy KIRO (since 21 October 2021); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner Mark GIBBS (since 5 March 2024)
Economy
- Economic Overview
- upper-middle-income self-governing New Zealand territorial economy; environmentally fragile; massive emigration; post-pandemic tourism rebound; postage stamps, small-scale agricultural processing, and subsistence farming; most recent Asian Development Bank member
- Major Industries
- handicrafts, food processing