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/ ^ⓘ too-VAH-loo), formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is an island country 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. 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 1569, Spanish navigator and documentor 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

The Tuvalu Trust Fund is an international sovereign wealth fund established to benefit Tuvalu, a small, central Pacific island nation, by providing income to cover shortfalls in the national budget, underpin economic development, and help the nation achieve greater financial autonomy. The Tuvalu Trust Fund was established in 1987 by the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) 2014 Country Report noted the market value of the Tuvalu Trust Fund dropped during the global financial crisis; however, the IMF 2016 Country Report estimates the total value of the fund had recovered to be AUD$131 million in 2012. The policy of the Tuvuluan government has been to grow the maintained value of the Consolidated Investment Fund (CIF), from which the government can draw funds for government expenditure; during 2016-2020 the government was able to save an average of 6.6% of GDP into the CIF. (Full article...)
Image 2
The Funafuti atoll of Tuvalu

Climate change is particularly threatening for the long-term habitability of the island country of Tuvalu, which has a land area of only 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi) and an average elevation of less than 2 metres (6.6 ft) above sea level, with the highest point of Niulakita being about 4.6 metres (15 ft) above sea level. Potential threats to the country due to climate change include rising sea levels, increasingly severe tropical cyclones, high temperatures, and drought.

Tuvalu is widely considered one of the first countries likely to be significantly impacted by rising sea levels due to global climate change. According to some estimates, the highest tides could regularly flood 50% of the land area of national capital Funafuti by the mid-21st century, and 95% by 2100. The rising saltwater table could also destroy deep rooted food crops such as coconut, pulaka, and taro before they're overtaken by actual flooding. Meanwhile, one 2018 study from the University of Auckland suggested that Tuvalu may remain habitable over the next century, finding that the country's islands have even grown in area overall in recent decades, though the authors stressed that "Climate change remains one of the single greatest environmental threats to the livelihood and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific" and that "Sea-level rise and climatic change threaten the existence of atoll nations". (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

The Sopoaga Ministry was the 14th ministry of the Government of Tuvalu, led by Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga. It succeeds the Telavi Ministry upon its swearing in by Governor-General Sir Iakoba Italeli on 5 August 2013.

Following the 2015 general election, Enele Sopoaga was sworn in as prime minister on 10 April. Enele Sopoaga said his administration will focus on working to make Tuvalu less vulnerable to climate change and global economic forces. (Full article...)
Image 5
Pulaka, Cyrtosperma merkusii, or swamp taro, is a crop grown mainly in Tuvalu and an important source of carbohydrates for the area's inhabitants. It is a "swamp crop" similar to taro, but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots."
The same plant is known as ‘‘pulaka’’ in Niue, babai in Kiribati, puraka in Cook Islands, pula’a in Samoa, via, via kana or via kau in Fiji, pulaka in Tokelau, simiden in Chuuk, swam taro in Papua New Guinea, and navia in Vanuatu.

Pulaka roots need to be cooked for hours to reduce toxicity in the corms, but are rich in nutrients, especially calcium. Pulaka is an important part of Tuvalu cultural and culinary tradition, now under threat from rising sea level and displacement from the growing use of imported food products. (Full article...)
Image 6

Tuvalu is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia, with a population of 11,192 per the 2017 census. The economy of Tuvalu is constrained by its remoteness and lack of economies of scale. Government revenues largely come from fishing licences (primarily paid under the South Pacific Tuna Treaty); direct grants from international donors (government donors as well as from the Asian Development Bank); and income from the Tuvalu Trust Fund. The lease of its highly fortuitous .tv Top Level Domain (TLD) also contributes revenue. The sale of stamps since the independence of Tuvalu in 1976 has been an important source of revenue for the country and government. However, such revenue has significantly declined in recent years. Tuvalu has hardly any tourism. It has no tour guides, tour operators or organised activities and no cruise ships visit.

The Tuvalu Trust Fund was established in 1987 by the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand to help supplement national deficits, underpin economic development, and help the nation achieve greater financial autonomy. The Fund has contributed roughly A$79 million, 15% of the annual government budget each year since 1990. With a capital value of about 2.5 times GDP, the Trust Fund provides an important cushion for Tuvalu's volatile income sources from fishing and royalties from the sale of the .tv domain. (Full article...)
Image 7
Tuvalu competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation at Rio de Janeiro marked its third consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 2008. The delegation included a single track and field athlete: sprinter Etimoni Timuani. Etimoni was also the nation's flagbearer in the Parade of Nations. He did not progress past the first round of his men's 100 metres competition. (Full article...)
Image 8

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 9
Henry Faati Naisali, CMG, AO, OBE (7 December 1928 – 20 October 2004) was a Tuvaluan politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Tuvalu (1985-1989), Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (1988-1992) and Pro-Chancellor of The University of the South Pacific (1985-1990). He is notable for co-founding the Tuvalu Trust Fund which lead Tuvalu to achieve greater financial autonomy.

He attended the Elisefou School on Vaitupu, the Ratu Kadavulevu and Queen Victoria schools in Fiji, St. Andrews College in Christchurch, New Zealand, and studied at Canterbury University College, 1954-1956. He joined the Gilbert and Ellice Islands civil service in 1952. He participated in the negotiations in London which resulted in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony being separated into the British colonies of Kiribati and Tuvalu. (Full article...)
Image 10
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 11
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.

Tuvalu's independence was granted to it by the United Kingdom by virtue of the Tuvalu Independence Order 1978 (UK). Tuvalu became an independent constitutional monarchy on 1 October 1978. Charles III - as the King of Tuvalu - is the Head of State, represented by the Governor-General, who is appointed by the King on advice of the Prime Minister of Tuvalu. A written constitution was adopted at independence. In 1986 Tuvalu approved a new constitution that had been developed by the community leaders and the members of the Tuvaluan parliament. In May 2018 a translation of the current Constitution into the Tuvaluan language was completed as part of the Tuvalu Constitutional Review Project. (Full article...)
Image 12

The National Bank of Tuvalu (NBT) is the sole provider in Tuvalu of banking services involving taking deposits, making loans and engaging in foreign exchange transactions. In 2020, its assets were AUD$128 million, or 160% of the GDP of Tuvalu.

There is no monetary authority or central bank in Tuvalu. The NBT performs some monetary functions for the government, including the holding of government accounts and foreign assets. (Full article...)
Image 13
Parliamentary elections were held in Tuvalu on 16 September 2010. Voters elected fifteen members of the Parliament to a four-year term. All candidates were independents, as there are no political parties in the country. Ten out of the fifteen incumbent members were re-elected. The remaining five incumbents, including Deputy Prime Minister Tavau Teii, did not retain their seats. The incumbent Prime Minister, Apisai Ielemia, retained his seat in Vaitupu constituency. On 29 September, Maatia Toafa from Nanumea won eight of the fifteen votes to become Prime Minister.

However, on 24 December 2010, after a motion of no confidence, carried by eight votes to seven, Maatia Toafa was replaced by Willy Telavi as Prime Minister of Tuvalu. (Full article...)
Image 14
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 15

The Flag of Tuvalu

This timeline of the history of Tuvalu chronologically lists important events occurring within the present political boundaries of the Pacific island state of Tuvalu. This time line is introduced by the theories as to the origins of the Polynesian people and the migration across the Pacific Ocean to create Polynesia, which includes the islands of Tuvalu. (Full article...)

Selected picture -

A Tuvaluan meal

The cuisine of Tuvalu is based on the staple of coconut and the many species of fish found in the ocean and the lagoons of the atolls of Tuvalu. Pulaka, (cyrtosperma merkusii), or swamp taro, is an important source of carbohydrates. Rice now forms an important part of the diet. Coconut is used in different forms with coconut water, coconut milk and the flesh of the coconut being used to flavour dishes. Various desserts made on the islands include coconut and coconut milk, instead of animal milk.

General images -

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

Image 1M1918 155mm gun, manned by the 5th Defense Battalion on Funafuti (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 2Ocean side of Funafuti atoll showing the storm dunes, the highest point on the atoll. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 3Tamala of Nukufetau atoll, Ellice Islands (circa 1900–1910) (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 4Lat. and Long. (Funafuti) (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 5Main Street in Funafuti, (circa 1905) (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 6A map of Tuvalu. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 740mm 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 8The reef island of Nanumanga (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 9Fualifeke Islet (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 10Green sea turtle (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 11Interior of a maneapa on Funafuti, Tuvalu (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 12The atoll of Vaitupu (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 13The reef island of Niutao (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 14The atoll of Nui (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 15Funafuti (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 16The atoll of Nukulaelae (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 17Funafuti (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 18Nukufetau atoll. (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 19A Tuvaluan dancer at Auckland's Pasifika Festival (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 20The atoll of Nanumea (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 21The 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 22Ocean side of Funafuti atoll showing the storm dunes, the highest point on the atoll. (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 23The atoll of Nukufetau (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 24A man from the Nukufetau atoll, 1841, drawn by Alfred Agate (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 25Woman on Funafuti, Harry Clifford Fassett (1900) (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 26Landing cargo on the reef at Niutao (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 27Funafuti atoll (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 28Interior of a maneapa on Funafuti, Tuvalu (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 29A portrait of a woman on Funafuti in 1894 by Count Rudolf Festetics de Tolna (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 30Scaevola taccada and Guettarda speciosa grow near the beach on Nanumea Atoll (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 31Black noddy calling at colony (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 32Green sea turtle swimming towards surface (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 33Fualifeke Islet (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 34Martin Kleis (1850–1908) with Kotalo Kleis and their son Hans Martin Kleis. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 35Tuvaluan man in traditional costume drawn by Alfred Agate in 1841 during the United States Exploring Expedition. (from History of Tuvalu)
Image 361st 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 37Fualefeke Islet (from Geography of Tuvalu)
Image 38Black noddy (from Funafuti Conservation Area)
Image 39The reef island of Niulakita (from Coral reefs of Tuvalu)
Image 40Polynesia 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)

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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