These are: The biggest, most southern and most eastern island is Fenua Tapu (area 1.38 km2), which is followed by Telikiai (which is the most western islet), Tokinivae, Pongalei, Talalolae, Pakantou, Unimai, Piliaieve and Motupuakaka.

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.

There are no less than six accounts of this event, that of Mendaña himself being as follows: "A little after nine o'clock in the morning, a lad called Trejo, being aloft, first sighted land upon the starboard side to the southwest...When we drew near, we found it so small that it was no more than six leagues in circumference.

Taking this island from the sea outwards, it has the shape of two galleys, with a copse in the middle which appears like a fleet of ships" Mendaña found the island inhabited and five canoes came nearly within bow shot of his ship, when their occupants raised their paddles and turned back with shouts.

Hernán Gallego, Mendaña's pilot, says the natives were "naked and mulattoes" and Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, cosmographer in the expedition reported that the island "had a large fishery".

As it was late Mendaña decided to defer landing until the morning and kept the ships tacking all night.

With the dawn, however, a strong westerly storm blew up, and although they tried all day to regain the island they were at length compelled to give up.

[16] Martin Kleis was the resident trader on Nui in the late 19th century who sold copra to Henderson and Macfarlane.

[27] Health assessment teams visited Nui and the other islands affected by Cyclone Pam.

Alesana Kleis Seluka (MBE, CBE) is medical doctor by profession and Chairman of the Public Service Commission of Tuvalu.