Alofi is the capital of the island nation of

Niue Niue is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is part of Polynesia, and predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. One of the world's largest coral islands, Niue is c ...

. With a population of 610 in 2022, Alofi is the second-smallest national capital by population (after

Ngerulmud Ngerulmud () is the seat of government of the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. It replaced Koror City as a capital in 2006. The settlement is located in the state of Melekeok on Babeldaob, the country's largest island ...

, capital of

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

). It consists of two villages: Alofi North and Alofi South. They collectively serve as the capital, but of the two, Alofi South hosts more government buildings, as many were moved to the southern part after Cyclone Heta.

History

In 1922 the first hospital in Niue opened in Alofi. In January 2004, Niue was hit by the fierce tropical storm Cyclone Heta, which killed two people and did extensive damage to the entire island. Many of Alofi's buildings were destroyed, including the hospital. Government buildings were shifted to a less exposed site 3 km (≈ 2 mi) inland from the west coast, named Fonuakula, after the storm. East-West Center This site is within the village boundaries of Alofi South.

Geography

Overview

It is located at the centre of Alofi Bay on the west coast of the island, close to the only break in the

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...

that surrounds Niue. The bay stretches for 30% of the island's length (about seven kilometres) from Halagigie Point in the south to Makapu Point in the north. The council's territory borders with Avatele, Hakupu, Lakepa, Liku, Makefu, Mutalau,

Tamakautoga Tamakautoga is one of the fourteen List of villages in Niue, villages within the Pacific Ocean island nation of Niue. Tamakautoga is located in the southwestern portion of the island and borders the villages of Avatele, Hakupu, and Niue's capital ...

and

Tuapa Tuapa is one of the fourteen villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located ...

Climate

Alofi features a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, with no discernible

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

. The city has a noticeably drier stretch from June through September. However, all of these months average more than of rain, the limit for a dry season month. Average temperatures vary slightly throughout the course of the year in Alofi hovering at around , during the warmest month (February) and at around during the coolest months (July and August).

Transport

The town is serviced by Niue International Airport. There are also numerous roads, both paved and

dirt Dirt is any matter considered unclean, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Du ...

, that crisscross the town. The island's main seaport is Sir Roberts Wharf. It is close to the centre of Alofi, within 200 metres of the capital's post office and just to the north of the Chamber of Commerce building. It is a small wharf, capable—due to the island's topography—of only handling smaller flat-bottomed boats. Larger cargo vessels and fishing boats moor near the reef, and barges are used to offload cargo. Major strengthening, extension work, and renovations to the wharf were commissioned in 2020, after cyclone damage earlier in the year.

Personalities

Dalton Tagelagi Dalton Emani Makamau Tagelagi (born 5 June 1968) is a Niuean politician who is serving as the sixth and current prime minister of Niue since June 2020. He was elected premier by the Niue Legislative Assembly on 11 June 2020, defeating O'Lov ...

(b. 1968), politician * Sam Pata Emani Tagelagi (1935–2011), politician

References

Notes

Sources

* * * *

External links

History of Niue

Cyclone aftermath pictures
{{Authority control Capitals in Oceania Populated places in Niue