Tuvalu
Oceania · Funafuti · TV
Tuvalu is the tiny, beautiful atoll state of the central Polynesian Pacific, the nation of nine scattered coral islands and atolls with one of the smallest populations of any country on earth, spread across the ocean between Hawaii and Australia. The country, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is built entirely of the low lying coral rings and raised islands of the central Pacific, with the capital of the government on the atoll of the Funafuti, and its entire land measured in tens of square kilometres. The traditional life of the Tuvaluan people, the fishing, the community and the dance, the extraordinary lagoon of the Funafuti with its marine reserve, and the haunting, close relationship of these fragile islands with the rising sea of the ocean, define the nation of the world whose very land is the most threatened by the changing climate. Vulnerable, proud and profoundly oceanic, Tuvalu is the purest and the rarest of the atoll nations of the entire Pacific.
Overview
Tuvalu is a country in Oceania. Its capital is Funafuti and the international dialling code is +688. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Tuvaluan and English. Local currency is the Australian Dollar (AUD). We also list 1 city in Tuvalu: Funafuti.
The Atoll of the Funafuti and the Capital of the Lagoon
The atoll of the Funafuti, the wide, curved ring of the reef and the islets that shelters the long lagoon of the central Tuvalu, is the heart of the country and the site of the capital, the compact T-shaped gravel community of the main islet of the Fetafalu crowded with the government offices, the churches and the houses of the whole nation. The airstrip and the harbour islet of the Fongafale, the parliament building and the sparse streets of the capital make the modest administrative centre of one of the smallest states of the world, while the lagoon of the atoll, with its swimming, its palms and its sunset walks, bounds the whole daily life of the town. The walks of the islet, from end to end across the coral ring, give the complete intimate scale of the world's most under-populated capital.
The Passage of the Fulfillment and the Turtles of the Lagoon
The great lagoon of the Funafuti, the enormous central basin of the atoll ringed by the narrow islets and the reef passes, holds the marine life that gives the country its living, the fishing grounds, the turtles and the fish of the coral world of the central Pacific. The passage of the lagoon's channels, where the spirit waters of the reef surge through the breaks in the ring and the eagle rays, the sharks and the trevally gather in the current, is the setting of the superb fringing diving of the capital, and the snorkelling and the boat trips of the lagoon give the easy encounter with the untouched coral world of the islets. The conservation area of the lagoon, protecting the marine life of the whole central basin, keeps the ocean heart of the country intact.
The Islands of the Outer Islands and the Life of the Community
The peaceful outer islands of the country, the ringed and the raised coral islets scattered across the hundreds of kilometres of the ocean between the chains, preserve the deep, communal life of the traditional Tuvalu, the world of the maneapa, the village meeting houses, where the councils, the feasts and the dances of the community still govern the daily order. The villagers of the outer islands live by the fishing and the pulaka gardens of the rich pits, keep their catch houses and their canoes above the beaches, and gather for the church and the celebration in the large community houses at the centre of their egalitarian villages. The island hopping of the country, by the small flights and the boats that thread the outer atolls, gives the extraordinary privilege of a way of life barely changed in the remote Pacific.
The Flight of the Frigate and the Birds of the Atolls
The islands of the country, scattered across the empty central Pacific, serve as the vital nesting and the feeding stations for the seabirds of the enormous ocean, and the sky of the Tuvaluan atolls wheels with the frigates, the terns and the boobies of the surrounding seas. The great frigatebirds of the atolls, the black pirates of the ocean air that chase the other fliers for their catch, and the nesting colonies of the smaller islets, give the birdwatchers of the country their special reward, alongside the turtles and the reef life of the surrounding waters. The marine birdlife and the fish populations of the islands, dependent on the health of the great ocean around the coral rings, complete the picture of a nation whose real territory is the vast living sea of the central Pacific.
The Changing Sea and the Future of the Islands
The country of the Tuvalu, with its highest points barely above the ordinary high tide of its own beaches, is the rarest and the most exposed of all the coral nations of the Pacific, and the slowly rising level of the surrounding sea is the overwhelming environmental story of the islands. The king tides of the late year, when the ocean washes across the tarmac and through the villages of the capital, and the threatened erosion of the shorelines of the outer islands, have made the federation of the atolls a symbol of the vulnerability of the whole low-lying planet to the changing climate. The resilience and the international advocacy of the Tuvaluan people, who hold their islands and their culture close against the rising water, give the final, urgent chapter of the world's smallest and most threatened sovereign states of the ocean.
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- Capital
- Funafuti
- Currency
- Australian Dollar (AUD)
- Languages
- Tuvaluan, English
- Calling code
- +688
- Internet TLD
- tv
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Tuvalu.
Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Tuvalu?
Funafuti is the capital of Tuvalu, and the country sits in Oceania.
What currency is used in Tuvalu?
You pay with Australian Dollar (AUD) in Tuvalu. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Tuvalu?
The languages we list for Tuvalu are Tuvaluan and English. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Tuvalu?
The dialling code for Tuvalu is +688 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which cities in Tuvalu do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Tuvalu: Funafuti (capital).