Geography of Niue
Location: | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga |
Geographic coordinates: | 19 02 S, 169 52 W |
Map references: | Oceania |
Area: | total: 260 sq km land: 260 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative: | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Land boundaries: | 0 km |
Coastline: | 64 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Climate: | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds |
Terrain: | steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m |
Natural resources: | fish, arable land |
Land use: | arable land: 11.54% permanent crops: 15.38% other: 73.08% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | NA |
Natural hazards: | typhoons |
Environment - current issues: | increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | one of world's largest coral islands |