Editing Atafu (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Atafu street dawn 20070715.jpg|300px|thumb|Dawn in the main street]]
Atafu lies in the Pacific hurricane belt. In January 1914, a massive storm demolished the church and most of the houses on the islands, and wiped out many of the coconut palms.<ref name="janeresture">[http://www.janeresture.com/tokelau_islands/atafu.htm Atafu Island] on janeresture.com</ref>

The atoll is roughly triangular in shape and encloses a lagoon some {{convert|5|km|mi|spell=in|abbr=off}} north to south by {{convert|4|km|mi|spell=in|abbr=off}} east to west at its widest point. It is low-lying, reaching a maximum altitude of only some {{convert|5|m|ft|spell=in|abbr=off}}, and is heavily vegetated with [[coconut]] palms and other trees, with undergrowth similar to that found on many small central Pacific islands. Lizards, rats, and seabirds are common on Atafu island.<ref name="janeresture" /> The atoll attracts a wide variety of fish in large numbers.

The eastern side of the lagoon is a nearly continuous thin strip of land with one small break halfway along its length. In contrast, the western side is composed of reef and several distinct islands, notably the inverted V shape of Atafu Island in the north, Alofi, which extends into the lagoon from the western reef, and the L-shaped Fenualoa in the southwest. The smaller Tamaseko Island lies in the lagoon close to Alofi.

The reef which connects the islands of the atoll is shallow enough that it is possible to walk between the islands at low tide. This also means that there is no boat passage to the lagoon, although the ocean becomes deep very close to the reef. This allows for good anchorage, but also makes for rough seas close to the reef. The flatness of the atoll and its location within the [[tropical cyclone]] belt has led to damage to island properties on occasion.

===Important Bird Area===
Some 70&nbsp;ha of the southern and south-western parts of the atoll have been designated an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because the site supports [[bird colony|breeding colonies]] of [[brown noddy|brown]] and [[black noddy|black noddies]]s and [[common white tern]]s, with about 30,000 breeding pairs estimated in 2011.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/atafu-iba-tokelau-(to-new-zealand)|title= Atafu|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 7 March 2021}}</ref>

=== Islets ===

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
# Fogalaki i Lalo
# Fogalaki-Matangi (Fogalaki i Matagi)
# Te Oki
# Te Hepu
# Laualalava
# Te Kapi
# Na Utua
# Motu Atea
# Motu Fakalalo
# Tama Hakea
# Hakea Lahi ki Matagi
# Hakea O Himi
# Malatea
# Kenakena
# Malo o Futa
# Motu o Te Lakia
# Komulo
# Hakea o Apelamo
# Na Hapiti
# Niuefa
# Fenualoa
# Te Puka 
# Tamaheko
# Te Alofi
# Tulua a Kovi
# Tagi a Kuli
# Hakea o Himi
# Tulua a Kava
# Motu o te Niu
# Malatea
# Hakea o Hoi
# Hakea o Fata
# Kenakena
# Matu o Tenumi
# Matu o te Lakia
# Motu Fakaka kai
# Malo o Futa
# Malo o Futa
# Motu o te Fala
# Tafega
# Komulo
# Hakela Lahi i Lalo
# Hotoma
# Hakea o Apelamo
# Na Hapiti
# Niuefa
# Fenualoa
# Te Puka
# Tamaheko
# Te Alofi
# Ulugagie
# Atafu Village
{{div col end}}