Niue was formed over an inactive undersea volcano.

Niue is one of world's largest and highest coral islands.

The highest point in Niue is near Mutalau settlement (68 m).

The islands of the Pacific are usually divided into three areas: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.

Niue is in the Pacific area of Polynesia.

Polynesia, which means many islands, is a name covering over a thousand islands between Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island.

The Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna are also in this grouping.

Niue is also known as the Rock of Polynesia,

It is thought that Polynesians arrived on the island of Niue over a thousand years ago.

Migrations to Niue took place from the Polynesian islands of Samoa and Tonga.

James Cook, the English captain, sighted Niue in 1774.

The inhabitants prevented Captain Cook from landing on the island.

Captain Cook named Niue "Savage Island".

Christian missionaries from the London Missionary Society arrived in Niue in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Niue became part of the British Empire at the end of the nineteenth century.

New Zealand took over administration of Niue in 1901.

In 1974 Niue became self-governing in free association with New Zealand.

Niueans have New Zealand citizenship.

Niue is the smallest self-governing state in the world.

In recent years a number of people from Niue have moved to New Zealand.

Like Tuvalu (tv), Niue earns revenue from its internet domain letters (nu).

There are fewer than two thousand inhabitants on Niue.

In 2004 Cyclone Heta damaged many buildings on Niue.

Like many islands, climate change would threaten Niue's underground freshwater supplies, and cyclones will be more frequent and more severe.