Geography of Niue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Niue is a small island in the South Pacific Ocean, to the east of Tonga. The island has an area of 260 square kilometres, and a coastline of 64 km. Niue claims an exclusive economic zone of 200 nm, and a territorial sea of 12 nm. Niue is one of world's largest coral islands.
Niue's climate is tropical, modified by southeast trade winds. Typhoons pose a natural hazard. The island's terrain cosists of steep coastal cliffs made from limestone, and a central plateau. The lowest point is the Pacific Ocean, at sea level, and the highest is an unnamed point near Mutalau Settlement, at 68 m.
The island's natural resources are fish and arable land. The land use, as of 1993, is described in the following table:
| Use | Percentage of Area |
|---|---|
| arable land | 19 |
| permanent crops | 8 |
| permanent pastures | 4 |
| forests and woodland | 19 |
| other | 50 |
A current environmental issue for the island is increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture. Niue is a party to the following international agreements regarding the environment: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification. Niue has signed, but not ratified the Law of the Sea agreement.
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