Niue is a small island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in the South Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

, to the east of Tonga

Tonga

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...

. It has an area of 260 square kilometres, and a coastline of 64 km. It claims an exclusive economic zone of 200 nm, and a territorial sea of 12 nm. It is one of world's largest coral island

Coral island

A coral island is the result of an atoll whose lagoon has dried up or been filled in with coral sand and detritus. This state is typically the last in the life cycle of an island, the first being volcanic and the second being an atoll. Most of the world's coral islands are in the Pacific Ocean...

s.

Climate

Niue's climate is tropical, modified by south-east trade winds. Cyclones pose a natural hazard.

Terrain

The terrain consists of steep coastal cliff

Cliff

In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...

s made from limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 and a central plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

. The lowest point is at sea level, and the highest is an unnamed point near Mutalau

Mutalau

Mutalau is a village on Niue, with a population of 133 as of the 2001 census. It was previously known as Ululauta and Matahefonua. Ululauta and Matahefonua both mean "head of the land". Mutalau is the most northern village on Niue...

 settlement, at 68 m.

Natural resources

The island's natural resources are fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

 and arable land

Arable land

In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...

. Land use in 1993 was as in the following table:

Land use

Use	Percentage of area
arable land	19
permanent crops	8
permanent pastures	4
forests and woodland	19
other	50

Environmental issues

A current environmental issue

Environmental issue

Environmental issues are negative aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment. Environmentalism, a social and environmental movement that started in the 1960s, addresses environmental issues through advocacy, education and activism.-Types:...

 is increasing attention to conservationist

Conservationist

Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...

 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.

Boundaries

Niue has signed a treaty

Niue – United States Maritime Boundary Treaty

The Niue – United States Maritime Boundary Treaty is a 1997 treaty that delimits the maritime boundary between Niue and American Samoa.The treaty was signed in Wellington, New Zealand on 13 May 1997 by Niuean Premier Frank Lui and United States Ambassador Josiah Beeman...

 with the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in which the parties delimited

Boundary delimitation

Boundary delimitation, or simply delimitation, is the term used to describe the drawing of boundaries, but is most often used to describe the drawing of electoral boundaries, specifically those of precincts, states, counties or other municipalities...

 the east–west maritime boundary

Maritime boundary

Maritime boundary is a conceptual means of division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. As such it usually includes areas of exclusive national rights over the mineral and biological resources,...

 between Niue and American Samoa

American Samoa

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...

. Niue is south of American Samoa.

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Niue

Niue

Niue , is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as the "Rock of Polynesia", and inhabitants of the island call it "the Rock" for short. Niue is northeast of New Zealand in a triangle between Tonga to the southwest, the Samoas to the northwest, and the Cook Islands to...

, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northern-most point – unnamed headland north-west of Uluvehi
• Eastern-most point – unnamed headland south-east of Liku
  Liku
  Liku is a village close to the easternmost point of the island of Niue. It lies due east of the capital, Alofi.Liku is connected to the capital by a road which traverses the centre of the island...
  
  
• Southern-most point – Limufuafua Point
• Western-most point - Halagigie Point
  Halagigie Point
  Halagigie Point is the westernmost point on the island of Niue in Polynesia. It lies to the southwest of the capital, Alofi, between the two large bays of Alofi Bay and Avatele Bay ....