Tuvalu is a small country formed by a volcanic island chain that has the distinction of being one of the least populous countries in the world, after Vatican City and before Nauru, with a population of about 11,000. Considering that the Vatican is almost like a room (complete with the fact that it’s surrounded by walls), it says a lot. Of course, Tuvalu is also one of the smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of just 10 square miles.
Tuvaluans speak a Polynesian language that is closely related to Samoan, and more distantly to Hawaiian and Maori. Tuvaluan legends contend that Tuvaluans were descended primarily from Samoans, with Tongans also providing additional admixture when they ruled the islands in the 13th century. Eight of the nine main islands were inhabited, so the term "Tuvalu" was coined for the islands (valu means "eight" in Tuvaluan).
The islands were first sighted by Europeans in 1568. For a while, the British and Germans jostled over control, until they reached an agreement to divide the Pacific in half. In 1892, the British declared Tuvalu, then known as the Ellice Islands, a protectorate. For most of the colonial period, it was grouped together with the Gilbert Islands (present-day Kiribati).
In 1974, the Ellice and Gilbert Islands separated after a referendum. In 1978, the former declared independence from the United Kingdom as Tuvalu. On September 5th, 2000, it became the 189th member of the United Nations. Tuvalu remains a Commonwealth Realm, which means it still recognizes the British monarch as its head of state.
Like Kiribati, it is very susceptible to sea level rising and passing storms, which is understandable considering the islands are less than five meters above sea level. As a result, it is one of the countries most interested in matters pertaining to climate change, since it fears its choices are "stop climate change" or "evacuate at some point in the next few centuries".
The country has just one airport, the Funafuti International Airport, which is connected solely with Fiji (there used to be airports in Nanumea and Nukufetau, but both were abandoned after World War II). The country also has no official military force. As for currency, it has a deal with Australia to mint special coins to be used to in Tuvalu, which are pegged to the Australian dollar. Otherwise, it uses the Australian dollar for banknotes.
Happily, Tuvalu happened to be assigned ".tv" as its internet domain name, and made a lot of money around the Turn of the Millennium by selling it to television companies who wanted .tv websites.
The Tuvaluan flag
The Tuvaluan national anthem
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Government
- Unitary non-partisan parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- Monarch: Charles III
- Governor-General: Tofiga Vaevalu Falani
- Prime Minister: Feleti Teo
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Funafuti
- Population: 11,646
- Area: 26 sq km (10 sq mi) (191st)
- Currency: Tuvaluan dollar (TV$) (TVD), Australian dollar (AU$) (AUD)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: TV
- Country calling code: 688
- Highest point: Niulakita (5 m/15 ft) (202nd)
- Lowest point: Pacific Ocean (10,911 m/35,797 ft) (-)
