Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

_#_Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin

_#_Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper; offshore oil potential

_#_Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 65%; other 19%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: subject to hurricanes from November to January; includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited

_#_Note: located 2,500 km north of New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean

_*People #_Population: 744,006 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)