Country report: Niue

The tiny island state of Niue lies in the Polynesian South Pacific (see guest blogger Phil Howison’s breakdown of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia) and has a population of less than 1,700. Though sovereign since 1974, Niue’s foreign affairs and national defense are managed by New Zealand. Nevertheless, Niue established diplomatic relations with China last December. The economy of the island is tiny with a GDP of less than $8m. Like many small nations in the Asia-Pacific tourism is becoming an important sector.

This past week Niue has twice appeared in the international media. A total of 500 laptops from the One Laptop Per Child Program were distributed to every Niuean child. Furthermore, Niue served as host to this year’s meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum. Although I have heard of all the other Pacific Island nations, Niue is new to me. Two mentions in one week deserved a blog post I thought. If anyone has been to Niue I would love to hear about your experience. Leave a trackback or a comment. To learn more about South Pacific issues please see our Oceania Day series.