Niue, a single island, about 260 square km in the Pacific Ocean, is a raised atoll, one of the largest coral islands and one of the smallest self-governing states in the world. It is almost 400 km to the east of Vava'u and almost 500 km south of American Samoa. The name Niue comes from "niu" (coconut) and "e" (behold). The island was first settled by Polynesian sailors from Samoa around 900 AD; further settlers arrived from Tonga in the 16th century. The practice of kingship seems to date from around 1700, through contact with Samoa and Tonga. Captain James Cook made first European contact with the island in June 1774 at Opaahi Reef, but was refused permission to land by the Polynesian warriors who greeted him with red stained teeth and almost hit him with a spear. Cook assumed they had painted themselves with blood (it was in effect a red banana) and named the island "Savage Island", a name it kept for centuries until its native name was restored. However, its official name is still Niue fekai (wild Niue); locals often refer to it as "The Rock".

Missionaries from the London Missionary Society arrived in 1846 but were not allowed to land until Nukai Peniamina, a local man who had been taken away and trained as a pastor in Samoa, was finally admitted in Mutalau village in the north of the island. There was initial resistance to the introduction of Christianity but gradually it spread; Hakapu was the last village to be converted. The islander's reputation for ferocity had kept foreigners, like whalers, away, but after Christianity they lost their will to fight and blackbirders enticed Niuean men to work in the phosphate mines on distant Malden Island. King Fataaiki appealed to the British Empire for protection, fearing annexation by other colonial powers; it took until 9 October 1900 for Britain to accept the request. A year later Niue was transferred to New Zealand's rule. In 1959 the appointed Island Council was replaced by an elected Legislative Assembly and finally, on 19 October 1974, Niue became internally self-governing in free association with New Zealand.

Niue is roughly oval in shape with two large bays indenting the western coast (Alofi Bay in the centre and Avatele Bay in the south). Between these is the promontory of Halangingie Point. There are steep limestone cliffs along the coast with a central plateau rising to about 60 metres above sea level. A coral reef surrounds the island, with the only major break in the reef being in the central western coast, close to the capital, Alofi. A notable feature of the island is the number of limestone caves found close to the coast. Most of the island's population live close to the west coast, around the capital, and in the northwest. However, many people choose to work and eventually settle in New Zealand to which they have unhindered access. As a result the population of Niue continues to drop: it was 5200 in 1966, about 2200 in 2004 and about 1400 in mid-2008.

Niue has a tropical climate, with most rainfall occurring between November and April. However, the island is prone to fierce tropical storms: after 1959 and 1960's cyclones the houses became concrete block dwellings; in 1989 the coconut plantations were wiped out, in 1990 the lime and passion fruit crops were destroyed and in January 2004 Cyclone Heta killed two people and did extensive damage to the entire island. Many of Alofi's buildings were destroyed, including the hospital. After this storm government buildings in Alofi South have been shifted to Fonuakula, a less exposed site 3 km inland from the west coast, but still within the village boundaries.