| Geography and Climate |
Niue is located in Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga. Area comparatively 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC.
Climate is tropical; modified by southeast trade winds. Terrain consists of steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau. Elevation extreme has the lowest point in Pacific Ocean 0 m and highest point in unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m. Natural resources are fish, arable land. Land use: arable land: 19%, permanent crops: 8%, permanent pastures: 4%,
forests and woodland: 19%, other: 50% (1993 est.). Natural hazards are typhoons.
Environment—current issues: traditional methods of burning brush and trees to clear land for agriculture have threatened soil supplies which are not naturally very abundant .
Geography—note: one of world's largest coral islands.
Ref. Anonymous, 1999 |