Niuatoputapu
Tonga · Oceania
About
Niuatoputapu (The Sacred Niua) is a volcanic island in the island nation of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Its highest point is 157 metres (515 ft), and its area is 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi). Its name means sacred island. Other names for the island are Traitors Island or Keppel Island.
Niuatoputapu is located in the north of the Tonga island group, 300 kilometres (190 miles) away from Vavaʻu near the border with Samoa. Its closest neighbours are the small island of Tafahi, which is only 9 km (6 mi) to the north-northeast, and the island of Niuafo'ou. Those three islands together form the administrative division of the Niuas. Niuatoputapu Airport accepts international flights. The population was 719 in 2021. Until several centuries ago, the inhabitants spoke the Niuatoputapu language, but it was replaced by the Tongan language and went extinct. Nevertheless, the variety of Tongan spoken on Niuatoputapu contains elements of Samoan, ʻUvean, and Futunan.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.