Actuarial Outpost
 
Go Back   Actuarial Outpost > Cyberchat > Surveys
FlashChat Actuarial Discussion Preliminary Exams CAS/SOA Exams Cyberchat Around the World Suggestions

Enterprise Risk Management Jobs

View Poll Results: Most Obscure country - pick one
Niue 10 35.71%
Tokelau 7 25.00%
Tuva 7 25.00%
42 degrees latitude 42 dgrees longtitude 4 14.29%
Voters: 28. You may not vote on this poll

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 05-07-2005, 07:41 PM
Happy Skunk's Avatar
Happy Skunk Happy Skunk is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Hangin' with the Political Pundits
Posts: 5,174
Default Most obscure country - 3 way playoff

Arguable whether tuva is a country, but the Judges have allowed it. Plus they have the throat singers.

Niue




Quote:
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.

The economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population. Government expenditures regularly exceed revenues, and the shortfall is made up by critically needed grants from New Zealand that are used to pay wages to public employees. Niue has cut government expenditures by reducing the public service by almost half. The agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence gardening, although some cash crops are grown for export. Industry consists primarily of small factories to process passion fruit, lime oil, honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is an important source of revenue. The island in recent years has suffered a serious loss of population because of migration of Niueans to New Zealand. Efforts to increase GDP include the promotion of tourism and a financial services industry, although former Premier LAKATANI announced in February 2002 that Niue will shut down the offshore banking industry. Economic aid from New Zealand in 2002 was about $2.6 million. Niue suffered a devastating hurricane in January 2004, which decimated nascent economic programs. While in the process of rebuilding, Niue has been dependent on foreign aid.
Tokelau



Quote:
Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925.

Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public services, with annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to families from relatives in New Zealand.


Tuva



Quote:
The Republic of Tuva (Tyva) is situated in the very centre of the Asian continent, between latitudes 49'45" and 53'45" North and in longitudes 88'49" and 98'56" East. It lies within the limits of the Altai-Sayan mountain system. To the south it borders on Mongolia. The territory of the republic is just over 170,000 square kms. The population is slightly over 300,000. The indigenous and predominant nationality (more than 70 %) is Tuvan, who speak a Turkic language. The capital of Tuva is the city of Kyzyl, which has a population of 100,000. Until the beginning of the twentieth century Tuva had always been under control of neighbouring powers. In 1921 it became an independent state - the Tuvan Peoples' Republic. Soon after it adopted its own national symbol, flag, army and currency (the aksha) and began producing its beautiful postage stamps, which are a firm favourite with philatelists. In 1944 Tuva joined the USSR as an autonomous region. Today Tuva is a republic within the Russian Federation. - from Dina Oiun
__________________
Happy refers to the network of member firms of Happy IDs, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.
Your foible here
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-07-2005, 07:44 PM
DoctorNo's Avatar
DoctorNo DoctorNo is offline
Member
SOA AAA
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 8,869
Default

Doesn't Tokelau play in the NBA?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-07-2005, 07:44 PM
Roto's Avatar
Roto Roto is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2002
Studying for CSP - ILA
Favorite beer: Summit IPA
Posts: 7,066
Default

pretty sad when NEW ZEALAND is your country's sugar-daddy!!!
__________________
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-07-2005, 08:08 PM
asdfasdf asdfasdf is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: My perception of reality
Studying for nication
Posts: 4,219
Default

Pretty Sad when the sale of postage stamps to collectors is an important source of revenue, who still collects postage stamps?
__________________
Your own conciousness blinds you to the true existence of all things external to it.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 05-07-2005, 08:58 PM
ahow's Avatar
ahow ahow is online now
Member
CAS
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Burninating the Indiana
Favorite beer: Stone 11th Anniversary Ale
Posts: 6,786
Default

REEF!!!

__________________
ahow
Badass


Visit The Digitante
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 05-08-2005, 05:54 PM
Ailing Factuary's Avatar
Ailing Factuary Ailing Factuary is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,536
Default

Why does New Zealand give these countries all this money?
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 05-08-2005, 06:13 PM
Pseudolus's Avatar
Pseudolus Pseudolus is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Cylon-occupied Caprica
Favorite beer: Saison Noël
Posts: 37,849
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ailing Factuary
Why does New Zealand give these countries all this money?
Because "Niue" rhymes with "Jiue". [/2pk]
__________________
The sounding joy. Please RT!
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 05-08-2005, 06:22 PM
1695814's Avatar
1695814 1695814 is offline
Member
SOA
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Studying for Module 7
Favorite beer: 1919 Root Beer
Posts: 14,590
Default

What's the deal with postage stamps?

These must be the country's that make those stamps for people who aren't dead yet & sell them in the Sunday newspaper coupon inserts.
__________________
Help find a cure for cancer by posting here.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-10-2005, 12:41 PM
Drewby's Avatar
Drewby Drewby is offline
Member
SOA AAA
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: There is an arch downtown...
Studying for my middle-age physical
College: Drake '87
Favorite beer: Bud Light Golden Wheat
Posts: 2,439
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by DoctorNo
Doesn't Tokelau play in the NBA?
Yes - pronounced "turkey glue".
__________________
Thanks - I'll be here all week - don't forget to tip your waitress and bartender!!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-10-2005, 12:47 PM
Drewby's Avatar
Drewby Drewby is offline
Member
SOA AAA
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: There is an arch downtown...
Studying for my middle-age physical
College: Drake '87
Favorite beer: Bud Light Golden Wheat
Posts: 2,439
Default

On a more serious note, I know a young man who was a Christian missionary to Tuva. He's got cool pictures of his group boating into the more remote areas between these high mountains...really beautiful country I guess.
__________________
Thanks - I'll be here all week - don't forget to tip your waitress and bartender!!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:13 AM.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Page generated in 0.22893 seconds with 7 queries