Alofi
Capital of Niue
Alofi is the capital of the island nation of Niue. With a population of 610 in 2022, Alofi is the second-smallest national capital by population (after Ngerulmud, capital of Palau). 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.
01History
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. This site is within the village boundaries of Alofi South.
02Geography
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 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 and Tuapa.
Climate
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Alofi features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification, with no discernible dry season. The city has a noticeably drier stretch from June through September. However, all of these months average more than 60 mm (2.4 in) of rain, the limit for a dry season month. Average temperatures vary slightly throughout the course of the year in Alofi hovering at around 27 °C (81 °F), during the warmest month (February) and at around 23 °C (73 °F) during the coolest months (July and August).
03Transport
The town is serviced by Niue International Airport. There are also numerous roads, both paved and dirt, 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.
04Notable people
- Dalton Tagelagi (born 1968), politician
- Sam Pata Emani Tagelagi (1935-2011), politician
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Alofi”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Alofi Visitor Information Centre.jpg by Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain
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