Ниутао аралы: Тувалу архипелагының бір бөлігі

Reef island and one of nine districts of Tuvalu

Niutao is a reef island in the northern part of Tuvalu. It is one of the nine districts (islands) of Tuvalu. It is also one of the three districts that consist of only one island — not counting the three islets inside the closed lagoon. Niutao has a population of 582 (2017 census).

There are two lakes (ponds or lagoons), which are brackish to saline. The larger has three islands and a dam. There are three wells in which fresher water sits in a "lens" above the salt water that leaches in through the coral. Older maps show the only village as Tuapa (with the neighbourhood of Angafoulua). The main village is Kulia; another village is Teava. There is a maneapa (community hall), Uepele Primary School, a church named Tineifale of the Church of Tuvalu, a post office, and three wells. A gravel road rings the island to connect the graveyard, half mile (800 m) counter clockwise from the village, and clockwise a quarter of a mile (400 m) to the hospital. The island is somewhat a horizontal oval which has a length of about one mile (1.6 km). Vegetation is abundant but of very limited variety. Main food staples are pulaka (Cyrtosperma merkusii) or swamp taro that is grown in the pits; breadfruit, coconut and pandanus is also cultivated. A fringing reef surrounds the whole island, which makes local fishing and transport into and out of the island difficult. In March 2015 Niutao suffered damage to houses, crops and infrastructure as the result of storm surges caused by Cyclone Pam.

Niutaoans believe that their ancestors came from Samoa in the 12th or 13th century. In the 15th century warriors from Tonga were defeated in a battle on the reef of Niutao at a place known as Tāga A Kaupapa. Tongan warriors also invaded Niutao later in the 15th century and again were repelled. A third invasion of Tongan warriors occurred in the late 16th century; with a fourth following when the Tongans were defeated at a place called Tekamaitoga.

The Janet Nicoll was a trading steamer owned by Henderson and Macfarlane of Auckland, New Zealand, which operated between Sydney, Auckland and into the central Pacific. Robert Louis Stevenson was in Sydney, Australia in April 1890, looking for a ship to travel into the central Pacific; he and his wife Fanny Vandegrift Stevenson, and her son Lloyd Osbourne sailed on the Janet Nicoll. From 29 May to 2 June 1890 the Janet Nicoll anchored off Niutao to take on copra. An account of the voyage was written by Fanny Vandegrift Stevenson and published under the title The Cruise of the Janet Nichol. A passenger on the ship was Jack Buckland, who later returned to Niutao to be the resident copra trader.

The Niutaons financed the building of a church which was designed and built by Mr Foster Wesley and his assistant Lifuka Falakai from Vaiputo, with skilled Niutaons also working on the church. Building began in April 1915 and was completed in about September 1919. The service of dedication was led by Pastor Panapa of Samoa and the church was named Tineifale. In 1919 a new Fale Kaupule (community hall) was built, which was named Fetu Afiafi. The anointing slab or stone of the Chiefs of Malaefono was moved into the Fale Kaupule; this stone was the symbol of authority, dignity, honour and peace. The paletua (seat) of the Chief Kaupule or Fogauli was made out of pukavai (Pisonia grandis) timber by Fred Whibley. The school was named “Whibley Memorial School” by the Paramount Chiefs as Fred Whibley (trader resident on Niutao from 1898 to circa 1911) had encouraged education. The first teacher was Pulekai Alofa Sogivalu, with a class of 40 pupils. Koch returned to Niutao in 1996, where he met islanders who were children when he visited in 1961. In 1964 the Island Councils of Tuvalu were restructured so as to consist of a President, Vice President and three councillors elected by the people of each island. In 1979 the central government reformed the Council of Chiefs of each island. From the late 18th century the two Paramount Chiefs of Niutao were leaders of the districts of Teitieva and Malaefono.

Feleti Teo and Sa'aga Talu Teafa were elected in the 2024 general election.