Niue is a small, isolated Pacific island with a total land area of 259 square kilometres (km2).  It is the largest raised coral atoll in the South Pacific Ocean, lying between Tonga to the west and Rarotonga (Cook Islands) to the east.  There is a precipitous, broken coastline rising to two terraces, 28 metres (m) and 64 m above sea level. 

The population of the island continues to drop, from a peak of 5194 in 1966, to 2322 in 1991, and 1788 in 2001.  There is substantial emigration to New Zealand because of Niue’s lack of natural resources, isolation, and insufficient social and economic development, and because Niueans are New Zealand citizens.  The 2001 New Zealand census listed 20 148 Niueans in the New Zealand population.

Population density is 7.2 per km2 and 32.53% of the population live in urban areas.  Children under the age of 15 years make up 29.6% of the population, adults 65 years and older 8.8%.  The crude birth rate is 18.46 per 1000 population and the crude death rate is 7.8 per 1000.

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