Niue offers great potential for environmental tourism and opportunities to explore its rich biodiversity. This oval shaped island is one of the world's largest coral islands and visitors can have a time of their life amidst the marine wonders of the colourful reefs. Located in the southern Pacific Ocean to the east of Tonga, Nieu possesses three geographically outlying coral reefs within the territorial waters. The Beveridge Reef, Antiope Reef, Haran Reef and the Albert Meyer Reef are the most prominent among them. A central plateau, rising to about 60 metres above sea level, dominates the topography of Nieu. Steep limestone cliffs and beautiful coral reefs along the coastline surround this single island entity. The numerous limestone caves by the seashores are a major tourist attraction point of Nieu.
Often addressed as the "Rock of Polynesia", Nieu belongs to the continent of Oceania. First settled by Polynesian sailors from Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands, this island came under British reign in eighteenth century. In 1901, it was annexed by New Zealand and Niue gained independence in 1974 under terms of free association with New Zealand. Recent reports of Australian Yamarna Goldfields have suggested that Niue might have the world's largest deposit of uranium.