eninsula; the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of
Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of
Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision, the
unresolved Bakasi allocation, and a sovereignty dispute between
Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the
Ntem River all contribute to the delay in implementation; several
villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Benin; Lake Chad
Commission continues to urge signatories Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and
Nigeria to ratify delimitation treaty over lake region, which
remains the site of armed clashes among local populations and
militias

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 250,000 (communal violence between Christians and Muslims
since President Obasanjo's election in 1999) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East
Asian, and North American markets; safehaven for Nigerian
narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center;
massive corruption and criminal activity, remains on Financial
Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for
continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering
control regime

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@Niue

Introduction Niue

Background:
Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences
between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of the Cook
Islands, have caused it to be separately administered. The
population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200 in
1966 to about 2,100 in 2004), with substantial emigration to New
Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest.

Geography Niue

Location:
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga

Geographic coordinates:
19 02 S, 169 52 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 260 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 260 sq km

Area - comparative:
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
64 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; modified by southeast trade winds

Terrain:
steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest poi