Wow!
I thought to myself. I wonder where the heck Niue is. I've never
heard of it!
I
was picturing a nice little island nation in the South Pacific with a
beautiful brown islander queen who was born on June 4, some year in
the past.
Well...yes
and no. Niue is an island, and it is in the South
Pacific. It's sorta / kinda a nation—it is self-governing—but it
is in "free association" with New Zealand and lacks “full sovereignty.”
 |
| Niue is the teensy speck inside the blue square. |
And
its queen is no other than the pale-skinned royal who is also queen of Britain, Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand,
among other nations: Queen Elizabeth II.
But—wait
a minute!—Elizabeth II's birthday is April 21!
For
some reason, the countries of the Commonwealth all celebrate her
birthday on different dates. New Zealand celebrates on the first
Monday in June, and other countries celebrate it on other dates in
May, June, September, or October. Niue, being associated with New
Zealand, celebrates the queen's birthday on the same date.
Apparently,
the idea of having an official birthday that is different than the
actual anniversary of one's birth started with Elizabeth II's
great-grandfather, Edward VII. He didn't like to have his birthday in
chilly November, so he decreed that it would be celebrated in a
warmer, sunnier month. Elizabeth II has no such excuse, in my
mind—late April is usually a lovely time of the year!—but
tradition is tradition, and she has various official birthdays as well as the sort of birthday we all have.
What
makes Niue special?
As
of the year 2003, Niue became the first “WiFi nation.” Free
wireless Internet access is provided all over the country!
Explorer
James Cook called Niue “Savage Island” because the inhabitants
looked bloody, like they ate humans—but it turned out that the red
substance on their teeth was a kind of red banana. Still, for 200
years or so, the island was stuck with “Savage Island.” Finally
the original name, Niue, began to be used again. This name
means “behold the coconut”!
Niue
is one of the world's largest coral islands. There are a lot of
limestone caves close to the coast, and the unusual soil (made from
extremely weathered coral) has higher-than-normal levels of mercury
and natural radioactivity. However, apparently these levels are still
safe for plants and animals.
Also
on this date:
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