| Alofi | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Image Alt: | Alofi locals walking along a street |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Image Map1: | Niue Verwaltungsgliederung.png |
| Mapsize1: | 250px |
| Map Caption1: | Administrative map of Niue showing all the villages. Alofi is on the western side of the island |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | New Zealand |
| Subdivision Type1: | Constituent country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Niue |
| Subdivision Type2: | Tribal Area |
| Subdivision Name2: | Tafiti |
| Subdivision Type3: | Village |
| Subdivision Name3: | Alofi North and Alofi South |
| Leader Title: | Assemblyman of Alofi North |
| Leader Name: | Vaiga Tukuitoga[1] |
| Leader Title1: | Assemblyman of Alofi South |
| Leader Name1: | Dalton Tagelagi[2] |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Area of both Alofi North and Alofi South |
| Area Blank1 Km2: | 46.48 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [3] |
| Elevation M: | 21 |
| Population Footnotes: | [4] |
| Population Total: | 610 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | 13.12 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 32.46 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Alofi North |
| Population Blank1: | 187 |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Alofi South |
| Population Blank2: | 423 |
| Demographics Type1: | Resident Population |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [5] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Residents (Alofi North) |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Visitors (Alofi North) |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 6,214 |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Resident (Alofi South) |
| Demographics1 Title4: | Visitor (Alofi South) |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 6,214 |
| Timezone1: | UTC-11 |
| Utc Offset1: | -11 |
| Area Code: | +683 |
Alofi is the capital of the island nation of Niue. With a population of 610 in 2022,[4] Alofi has the distinction of being the second-smallest capital city of a sovereign state 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.
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,[6] named Fonuakula, after the storm.[7] This site is within the village boundaries of Alofi South.
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.
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 60mm of rain, the limit for a dry season month. Average temperatures vary slightly throughout the course of the year in Alofi hovering at around, during the warmest month (February) and at around during the coolest months (July and August).
The town is serviced by Niue International Airport, and there are numerous roads, both paved and dirt, that crisscross the town.[8]
The island's main seaport is Sir Roberts Wharf. It is located at -19.0528°N -169.9208°W, 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.[9]