Portal:Tuvalu

Tuvalu
Tuvalu
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ISO 3166 code	TV

The Tuvalu Portal

A beach at Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu, on a sunny day

Tuvalu (/tuːˈvɑːluː/ (listen) too-VAH-loo formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Vanuatu, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna, and north of Fiji. Tuvalu is composed of three reef islands and six atolls. They are spread out between the latitude of 5° and 10° south and between the longitude of 176° and 180°. They lie west of the International Date Line. Tuvalu has a population of 11,204 (2021 world bank). The total land area of the islands of Tuvalu is 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi).

The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians, according to well-established theories regarding a migration of Polynesians into the Pacific that began about three thousand years ago. Long before European contact with the Pacific islands, Polynesians frequently voyaged by canoe between the islands. Polynesian navigation skills enabled them to make elaborately planned journeys in either double-hulled sailing canoes or outrigger canoes. Scholars believe that the Polynesians spread out from Samoa and Tonga into the Tuvaluan atolls, which then served as a stepping stone for further migration into the Polynesian outliers in Melanesia and Micronesia.

In 1568, Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña became the first European to sail through the archipelago, sighting the island of Nui during an expedition he was making in search of Terra Australis. The island of Funafuti was named Ellice's Island in 1819. Later, the whole group was named Ellice Islands by English hydrographer Alexander George Findlay. In the late 19th century, Great Britain claimed control over the Ellice Islands, designating them as within their sphere of influence. Between 9 and 16 October 1892, Captain Gibson of HMS Curacoa declared each of the Ellice Islands to be a British protectorate. Britain assigned a resident commissioner to administer the Ellice Islands as part of the British Western Pacific Territories (BWPT). From 1916 to 1975, they were managed as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony. (Full article...)

Selected articles -

Image 1

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Tuvalu face challenges not faced by non-LGBT people. Sections 153, 154 and 155 of the Penal Code outlaw male homosexual intercourse with a penalty of up to 14 years in prison, but the law is not enforced. Employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has been banned since 2017.

Tuvalu is home to a traditional transgender population, called the pinapinaaine, or pina, who historically played certain societal and communal roles. (Full article...)
Image 2
Naama Maheu Latasi, Lady Latasi, OBE (died 16 March 2012) was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. She stood for election in the constituency of Nanumea in 1989 and was elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu. Lady Latasi served as Minister of Health, Education and Community Services in the first Government of Prime Minister of Tuvalu Bikenibeu Paeniu. She was the first female member of parliament in Tuvaluan history. An amazing feat, that served to both pave the way for other aspiring female members of parliament today, but propelled the movement of gender equality. She served in Parliament from 1989 to 1997. Although she was not re-elected in the first 1993 general election but regained her seat in parliament in the second 1993 general election. (Full article...)
Image 3
The flag bearer of Tuvalu, Etimoni Timuani (sprinter), at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Sport is an important part of Tuvaluan culture, which sporting culture is based on traditional games and athletic activities and the adoption of some of the major international sports of the modern era.

The popular sports in Tuvalu include association football, futsal, volleyball, handball, basketball and rugby union. Tuvalu has sports organisations to support local competitions and the participation of Tuvalu in international competitions, including the Tuvalu Table Tennis Association, Tuvalu National Football Association, Tuvalu Basketball Federation, Tuvalu Rugby Union, Tuvalu Weightlifting Federation and Tuvalu Powerlifting Federation. Since 1979 Tuvalu has participated in the Pacific Games and the Pacific Mini Games. Tuvalu first participated in the Commonwealth Games in 1998, at the Olympic Games in 2008, and at the World Championships in Athletics in 2009. The Tuvalu Athletics Association is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the Tuvalu, and administers Tuvaluan records in athletics. (Full article...)
Image 4
Tuvalu elects a legislature on a national level. The Parliament of Tuvalu (Palamene o Tuvalu) has 16 members, elected for a four-year term in 8 double-seat constituencies. Tuvalu is a de facto non-partisan democracy since it does not have political parties.

Throughout the history of the parliament three women have been elected: Naama Maheu Latasi, from 1989 to 1997; Pelenike Isaia, from 2011 to 2015; and Dr Puakena Boreham who was elected in the 2015 Tuvaluan general election. (Full article...)
Image 5
Offices of the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation

Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC) is a state-owned enterprise of Tuvalu, which provides fixed-line telephone communications to subscribers on each of the islands of Tuvalu. Each island in Tuvalu relies on TTC for the use of a satellite dish for inter-island telephone communication and internet access. TTC also provides mobile phone services on Funafuti and Vaitupu. TTC is the sole provider of Telecommunications in Tuvalu. TTC is established by the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation Act 1993. (Full article...)
Image 6

Tuvalu, previously known as the Ellice Islands, is an island country in Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of six atolls and three reef islands (islands made of rocks from coral skeletons), with a total land area of 26 km2 (10 sq mi). Its climate is hot and humid, with annual rainfall varying from 2,500–3,500 mm (98–138 in). The soil is very weakly developed, consisting mostly of coral sand and calcium carbonate-rich regosols. Vegetation on the islands predominantly consists of coconuts, screw palms, Casuarina, creepers, and grass, although some native forest exists. Previously, the islands were likely covered with Pisonia woodland.

Thirty-seven species of birds have been recorded on Tuvalu, one of which has been introduced by humans. Thirteen of these species, nine of which are seabirds, breed in the country. The Pacific reef-heron, Pacific imperial-pigeon, and buff-banded rail, along with the introduced red junglefowl, are the remaining breeding species. Nine species of shorebird, eight species of seabird, mallards, and long-railed koels are migratory visitors to the islands. Four species of birds found in Tuvalu are globally threatened; the bristle-thighed curlew, bar-tailed godwit, and gray-tailed tattler are near-threatened, while the Phoenix petrel is endangered. Before the arrival of humans, the birds of the islands may have also included kingfishers, Acrocephalus warblers, Aplonis starlings, Prosobonia sandpipers, and fruit doves. However, higher sea levels at that time might have eliminated fresh water sources on most of the atolls, making them unsuitable for pigeons or starlings. (Full article...)
Image 7
Tuvaluan woman performing a traditional dance at Auckland's Pasifika Festival in 2011.

Women in Tuvalu continue to maintain a traditional Polynesian culture within a predominantly Christian society. Tuvaluan cultural identity is sustained through an individual's connection to their home island. In the traditional community system in Tuvalu, each family has its own task, or salanga, to perform for the community. The skills of a family are passed on from parents to children. The women of Tuvalu participate in the traditional music of Tuvalu and in the creation of the art of Tuvalu including using cowrie and other shells in traditional handicrafts. There are opportunities of further education and paid employment with non-government organisations (NGOs) and government enterprises, education and health agencies being the primary opportunities for Tuvaluan women.

The number of women holding positions of Assistant Secretaries in government departments has increased from 20% in 2012 to nearly 50% in 2014. Also at the nine Island Kaupule (Local Councils) the representation of women has increased from 1 in 2012 to 3 in 2014. (Full article...)
Image 8
Nanumea atoll from space

Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about 400 miles (640 km) of the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is 4 km² (1.5 sq mi) with a population of 512 people (2017 census). (Full article...)
Image 9

The monarchy of Tuvalu is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Tuvalu. The current Tuvaluan monarch and head of state since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Tuvaluan Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Tuvalu and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of the Tuvaluan state. However, the King is the only member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role.

All executive authority is vested in the monarch, and royal assent is required for the Tuvaluan Parliament to enact laws and for letters patent and Orders in Council to have legal effect. Most of the powers are exercised by the elected members of parliament, the ministers of the Crown generally drawn from amongst them, and the judges and justices of the peace. Other powers vested in the monarch, such as the appointment of a prime minister, are significant but are treated only as reserve powers and as an important security part of the role of the monarchy. (Full article...)
Image 10
Satellite picture

Niulakita is the southernmost island of Tuvalu, and also the name of the only village on this island. Niulakita has a population of 34 (2017 Census). The residents of Niulakita have moved to the island from Niutao. Niulakita is represented in the Parliament of Tuvalu by the members of the constituency of Niutao. (Full article...)
Image 11
Pelenike Tekinene Isaia served in the Parliament of Tuvalu from 2011 to 2015. Before her election as an MP she worked for the Tuvalu Cooperative Society, as its branch manager in Nui.

Her career in national politics began when she won the August 2011 by-election for the constituency of Nui, and thus entered Parliament. The by-election had been caused by the death of her husband, the incumbent MP and Minister for Works Isaia Italeli. Pelenike Isaia stated she would aim to continue his work, and she was the candidate endorsed by Prime Minister Willy Telavi's government. Italeli's death had deprived the Telavi government of its one-seat majority in Parliament, and when Pelenike Isaia won the by-election, defeating the only other candidate (Leneuoti Maatusi) by a sixty-two vote majority, her victory secured parliamentary support for Telavi. She was appointed Minister for Home Affairs. (Full article...)
Image 12
Sir Tomu Malaefone Sione (17 November 1941 – April 2016) was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. He worked as a journalist from 1962 to 1968, and held the post of radio announcer in the Broadcasting and Information Department of the administration of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (GEIC). He was the head of the southern Niutao clan. He was married to Segali. (Full article...)
Image 13
Asenate Manoa (born 23 May 1992) is a Tuvaluan track and field athlete who represented Tuvalu at the 2008 Summer Olympics, at the 2009 World Championships & 2011 World Championships and at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Manoa represented Tuvalu in the sport of powerlifting at the Pacific Games 2015 and won a bronze medal in the 72 kg Female category. She was the first woman to represent Tuvalu at the Olympics.

Manoa was born on Kioa island in Fiji. (Full article...)
Image 14
The politics of Tuvalu takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the head of state, represented by the Governor-General, while the Prime Minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government.

The Constitution of Tuvalu states that it is "the supreme law of Tuvalu" and that "all other laws shall be interpreted and applied subject to this Constitution"; it sets out the Principles of the Bill of Rights and the Protection of the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. In 1986 the Constitution adopted upon independence was amended in order to give attention to Tuvaluan custom and tradition as well as the aspirations and values of the Tuvaluan people. The changes placed greater emphasis on Tuvaluan community values rather than Western concepts of individual freedom. (Full article...)
Image 15
Nukulaelae atoll from space

Nukulaelae is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu, and it has a population of 300 (2017 census). The largest settlement is Pepesala on Fangaua islet with a population of 300 people (2017 Census). It has the form of an oval and consists of at least 15 islets. The inhabited islet is Fangaua, which is 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long and 50 to 200 metres (160 to 660 ft) wide. The easternmost point of Tuvalu is Niuoko islet. The Nukulaelae Conservation Area covers the eastern end of the lagoon. A baseline survey of marine life in the conservation zone was conducted in 2010. (Full article...)

Selected picture -

Ocean side of Funafuti atoll showing the storm dunes, the highest point on the atoll.

Cyclone Bebe, which passed through the Tuvaluan islands in October 1972, submerged Funafuti and eliminated 90% of structures on the island. The storm surge created a wall of coral rubble along the ocean side of Fongafale and Funafala that was about 10 miles (16 km) long, and about 10 feet (3.0 m) to 20 feet (6.1 m) thick at the bottom.

Because of the low elevation, the islands of Tuvalu are vulnerable to the effects of tropical cyclones and by the threat of current and future sea level rise. The highest elevation is 4.6 metres (15 ft) above sea level on Niulakita.

General images -

The following are images from various Tuvalu-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Fualifeke Islet (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 2Tamala of Nukufetau atoll, Ellice Islands (circa 1900–1910) (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 3Ocean side of Funafuti atoll showing the storm dunes, the highest point on the atoll. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 4Main Street in Funafuti, (circa 1905) (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 5Fualefeke Islet (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 6The reef island of Nanumanga (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 7Scaevola taccada and Guettarda speciosa grow near the beach on Nanumea Atoll (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 81st Lt. Louis Zamperini, peers through a hole in his B-24D Liberator 'Super Man' made by a 20mm shell over Nauru, 20 April 1943 (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 9Fualifeke Islet (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 10A map of Tuvalu. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 1140mm antiaircraft gun from the United States Marine Corps' 2d Airdrome Battalion defending the LST offload at Nukufetau on August 28, 1943. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 12The atoll of Nukulaelae (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 13Nukufetau atoll. (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 14A portrait of a woman on Funafuti in 1894 by Count Rudolf Festetics de Tolna (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 15Tuvaluan man in traditional costume drawn by Alfred Agate in 1841 during the United States Exploring Expedition. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 16The atoll of Funafuti; borings into a coral reef and the results, being the report of the Coral Reef Committee of the Royal Society (1904) (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 17Ocean side of Funafuti atoll showing the storm dunes, the highest point on the atoll. (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 18Martin Kleis (1850–1908) with Kotalo Kleis and their son Hans Martin Kleis. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 19Interior of a maneapa on Funafuti, Tuvalu (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 20Landing cargo on the reef at Niutao (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 21The reef island of Niulakita (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 22The reef island of Niutao (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 23Woman on Funafuti, Harry Clifford Fassett (1900) (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 24Funafuti (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 25A man from the Nukufetau atoll, 1841, drawn by Alfred Agate (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 26Funafuti (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 27The atoll of Vaitupu (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 28Polynesia is the largest of three major cultural areas in the Pacific Ocean. Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the Polynesian triangle. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 29Green sea turtle swimming towards surface (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 30The atoll of Nukufetau (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 31Lat. and Long. (Funafuti) (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 32M1918 155mm gun, manned by the 5th Defense Battalion on Funafuti (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 33Black noddy (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 34The atoll of Nui (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 35The atoll of Nanumea (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 36Funafuti atoll (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 37Green sea turtle (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 38Black noddy calling at colony (from Funafuti Conservation Area)

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Tuvalu could only afford to become a member of the United Nations after selling its Internet country code top-level domain?
... that the coral reefs of Tuvalu include the Funafuti Conservation Area, which encompasses 20 per cent of the reef area of Funafuti atoll?

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There are only 2 high schools in Tuvalu: Motufoua Secondary School, a government operated boarding school on Vaitupu and Fetuvalu Secondary School, a day school operated by the Church of Tuvalu, on Funafuti.
A traditional sport played in Tuvalu is kilikiti, which is similar to cricket.

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