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 an estimated 1,398 in 2009) with substantial emigration to New Zealand 2,400 km to the southwest.
Niue Introduction 2010
https://workmall.com/wfb2010/niue/niue_introduction.html
SOURCE: 2010 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES
