The capital and largest city is Alofi. Geologically speaking, Niue is a raised coral atoll rather than a volcanic island, and some of its soils contain unusually high levels of natural radioactivity. It's UV radiation, though that causes problems, giving Niue the highest rate of skin cancer in the world - in 2002, it reported 2,482 deaths per 100,000 people per year, or 42 people from its small population.
Although Niue uses the New Zealand dollar, it has minted legal tender silver commemorative coins depicting characters from Pokémon, Disney, Star Wars and more, which are popular with collectors.
Aided by both its small population and its small land area, in 2003 Niue became the first country in the world to have country-wide wi-fi.
The Niuean Flag
This flag is unusual for a flag based on the British ensign in that it has not only a yellow background, but also a defaced Union Jack in the canton. It consists of the Union Jack in the upper left corner with a star in the middle of the Union Jack and four stars forming a diamond around it. The Union Jack symbolizes the protection granted by the United Kingdom in 1900 after petitioning by the Kings and Chiefs of Niue, the yellow field symbolizes the bright sunshine of Niue and the warm feelings of the Niuean people towards New Zealand and her people, the association with New Zealand is represented by the four small stars that depict the Southern Cross, and the blue disc containing a larger star represents the deep blue sea surrounding the self-governing island of Niue.
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Alofi
- Population: 1,620
- Area: 261.46 km
- Currency: New Zealand dollar ($) (NZD)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: NU
