Nui is an atoll of the nation of Tuvalu with a population of about 540 in 2012. Nui is a classic atoll, a series of 21 low islets sitting on a coral reef shelf surrounding a lagoon. The dry land area is about 3.37 square kilometres (1.30 sq mi) with Fenua Tapu 1.38 square kilometres (0.53 sq mi) as the largest islet.
The ancestors of Nui came from both Samoa and the Gilbert Islands in what is now Kiribati. The people of Nui speak the Gilbertese language and Tuvaluan, the official language of Tuvalu.
The island was first sighted by Europeans on 16 January 1568 by Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña, who named it Isla de Jesús (Spanish for "Island of Jesus") because it was discovered on the day following the feast of the Holy Name. Nui|(More...)