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Funafuti atoll Tuvalu
Funafuti atoll, the national capital of Tuvalu.
Image: Stefan Lins
 

___ Tuvalu

Tuvalu Flag
Flag of Tuvalu
Location map of Tuvalu. Where in the South Pacific is Tuvalu?
Location map of Tuvalu.


A virtual guide to Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, a Polynesian island nation located in the Central Pacific Ocean just below the equator and about 1,000 km north of Fiji and about 2,000 km east of the Solomon Islands.

The Ellice Islands were administered as a British Protectorate, they were part of the British Western Pacific Territories from 1892 to 1916. In 1916 the British established the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony which existed until 1974. Tuvalu became independent on 1 October 1978.

Tuvalu is the world's fourth smallest country, the archipelago of six coral atolls and three islands covers an area of just 26 km². The existence of the low-lying islands is threatened by rising sea levels caused by global warming.

The island nation has a population of about 11,000 people, the island of Funafuti serves as capital. Main town is Vaiaku on Funafuti. The other islands are Nanumanga, Nanumea, Niulakita, Niutao, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae and Vaitupu.
Spoken languages are Tuvaluan and English.

Tuvalu

Country Profile



Background:
The Western Pacific nation of Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands consists of nine tiny coral atolls (26 sq km), home to about 12 000 people, its location is south of the equator and west of the dateline about midway between Hawaii and Australia. Tuvalu is one of the worlds smallest nations and unusual an independent state with the english monarch as head of state.


Other Polynesian islands are: American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia (Tahiti), Niue, Pitcairn, Samoa, and Tonga.

related countries: United Kingdom

 

Official Name:
Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands

ISO Country Code: tv, tuv

Time:
Local Time = UTC +12h
Actual Time: Mon-Mar-18  16:18

Country Calling Code: +688

Capital: Funafuti

Government:
Type: Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy.
Independence: 1 October 1978 (from U.K.).
Constitution: 1 October 1978.

Geography:
Location: Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia.
Area: 26 km²
Terrain: Very low lying and narrow coral atolls.

Climate: Tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March-November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November-March).

People:
Nationality: Tuvaluan(s).
Population: 11,000 (est. 2016)
Ethnic groups: Polynesians 96%, Micronesians 4%.
Religion: Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%; Seventh-day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'I 1%, other 0.6%.
Languages: Tuvaluan, English. Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) also spoken. Literacy: 55%.

Natural resources: Coconuts; fish.

Currency: Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar.



Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Tuvalu


Tuvalu Islands
Tuvalu Islands online.

Consulate of Tuvalu in Switzerland

Tuvalu Official Statistics Information
Site of the Central Statistics Division.

Intergovernmental organizations
Pacific Islands Forum
Inter-governmental organization for the cooperation between the countries of the Pacific Ocean.
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
Intergovernmental organisation of the Pacific islands.

Map
Tuvalu Islands Maps
Pacific, Tuvalu and individual Islands maps.
Map of Tuvalu
Political map of Tuvalu.

Google Earth Google Earth Tuvalu
Searchable map and satellite view of Tuvalu.
Google Earth Google Earth Funafuti
Searchable map and satellite view of Tuvalu's capital.

Map of Polynesia
Map of the countries in Polynesia, the island states in the eastern part of Oceania.
profile Map of Oceania and the Pacific Islands
Reference map of Australia/Oceania.
 
 

Island News


Tuvalu News Headlines
Tuvalu out-of-date headline news reports.

Pacific Islands Report
Up-to-date news of all the islands of the South Pacific.
 

Bookmark/share this page
Instagram

 

Arts & Culture


Te Vaka
Original, traditionally-influenced, contemporary Pacific music by this Tokelau/Tuvalu Band.

Polynesian Cultural Center
Hawaii based portal to Polynesian culture.

Where is Tuvalu
Dada like Googlism page on Tuvalu.
 

 

Business & Economy

Government revenues largely come from sales of fishing licenses, income from the Tuvalu Trust Fund, and from the lease of its highly fortuitous .tv Internet Top Level Domain (TLD). According to news.com.au, with some of the money earned in the .tv deal, Tuvalu was finally able to afford the $100,000 it cost to join the United Nations.

Tuvalu Fisheries Department
Learn more about fishery in Tuvalu.

tuvalu.tv (dead link)
Tuvalu ISP is the sole provider of Internet access in Tuvalu. The site provided also a message board and news related to Tuvalu. There are Samoan led negotiations with Tokelau and Tuvalu over the possibility of connecting the three countries by submarine cable.
 
 
 
Ocean side of Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu
Ocean side of Funafuti atoll, showing the storm dunes, the highest point on the atoll.
Image: David Arfon Jones

Travel and Tour Consumer Information


Island Guides
Discover Tuvalu. It's a long way to the archipelago. Flights from Singapore to the islands takes 17h 35m and 2+ stops at best, from Honolulu, Hawaii to Funafuti it even takes 73h with 3 stops.

Tuvalu timeless
Tuvalu's official Tourism web site.

Jane's Tuvalu Home Page
Tuvalu 2000
Contemporary images of Tuvalu by Jane Resture.
Tuvalu - Eight is Nine
South Pacific Organizer author David Stanley's Tuvalu travel guide.
 Tuvalu Online
News, history, maps and pictures.

South Pacific
South Pacific Tourism Organisation
Inter-governmental body for the tourism sector in the South Pacific Islands, find information on: accommodation, activities, online bookings and news.
 
 
 

Education


University of the South Pacific
Premier institution of tertiary education in the Pacific region, jointly owned by the governments of twelve island countries, USP is an international center of excellence for teaching, research and consulting on all aspects of Pacific life.

University of the South Pacific Libraries
The Main Library of the University of the South Pacific is based at Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji.
 
Funafuti atoll seen from space
Funafuti from Space
Photo: NASA Johnson Space Center
 

Environment & Nature


Climate Change - Tuvalu
Global climate change may cause some small countries to disappear entirely. (article and links)
SAVE TUVALU!
An environmental action started 1997.
South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
The Pacific region's major intergovernmental organization charged with protecting and managing the environment and natural resources.
 
 
 

History


A Brief History of Tuvalu
Tuvalu in the past.

History of Tuvalu
Wikipedia entry on Tuvalu's history.
 
 
 

Search

Open Directory Project: Tuvalu

Sources and additional Information on Tuvalu

Background Notes: Tuvalu

BBC Country Profile: Tuvalu

The Commonwealth: Tuvalu

GlobalEDGE: Tuvalu

OEC: Tuvalu

Wikipedia: Tuvalu

The World Factbook -- Tuvalu
 
 Support UNICEF

Other island territories and states in the South Pacific:
American Samoa | Fiji| Kiribati| New Caledonia | Papua New Guinea| Samoa
Solomon Islands | Tahiti | Tonga | Vanuatu
 
 
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