Tuvalu

Voyagers from either Samoa or Tonga first populated Tuvalu in the first millennium A.D., and the islands provided a stepping-stone for various Polynesian communities that subsequently settled in Melanesia and Micronesia. Tuvalu eventually came under Samoan and Tongan spheres of influence, although proximity to Micronesia allowed some Micronesian communities to flourish in Tuvalu, in particular on Nui Atoll. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, a series of American, British, Dutch, and Russian ships visited the islands, which were named the Ellice Islands in 1819. <br><br>The UK declared a protectorate over islands in 1892 and merged them with the Micronesian Gilbert Islands. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate became a colony in 1916. During World War II, the US set up military bases on a few islands, and in 1943, after Japan captured many of the northern Gilbert Islands, the UK transferred administration of the colony southward to Funafuti. After the war, Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands was once again made the colony’s capital, and the center of power was firmly in the Gilbert Islands, including the colony’s only secondary school. Amid growing tensions with the Gilbertese, Tuvaluans voted to secede from the colony in 1974, were granted self-rule in 1975, and gained independence in 1978 as Tuvalu. In 1979, the US relinquished its claims to the Tuvaluan islands in a treaty of friendship.

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Oceania

about the size of Washington, D.C.

24 km

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

low-lying and narrow coral atolls

fish, coconut (copra)

0 sq km (2022)

over half of the population resides on the atoll of Funafuti

severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low levels of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

one of the smallest and most remote countries on earth; six of the nine coral atolls -- Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae -- have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon

Tuvaluan 97%, Tuvaluan/I-Kiribati 1.6%, Tuvaluan/other 0.8%, other 0.6% (2017 est.)

Tuvaluan (official), English (official), Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

Protestant 92.7% (Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu 85.9%, Brethren 2.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.5%, Assemblies of God 1.5%), Baha'i 1.5%, Jehovah's Witness 1.5%, other 3.9%, none or refused 0.4% (2017 est.)

0.75% (2025 est.)

21.57 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

7.78 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-6.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

over half of the population resides on the atoll of Funafuti

7,000 FUNAFUTI (capital) (2018)

170 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

2.76 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.34 (2025 est.)

1.35 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

51.6% (2016)

2.9% (2019 est.)

64.2% (2020 est.)

limited freshwater resources; beach erosion; deforestation; damage to coral reefs; rising sea levels

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

6.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

7 island councils and 1 town council*; Funafuti*, Nanumaga, Nanumea, Niutao, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, Vaitupu

mixed system of English common law and local customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

<strong>note:</strong> no political parties, but members of parliament usually align in informal groupings

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

1 October 1978 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

<strong>description:</strong> light blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant; the right half of the flag has nine five-pointed yellow stars  <br><br><strong>meaning: </strong>the stars represent a map of the country, with each symbolizing an atoll in the ocean

maneapa (native meeting house)

light blue, yellow

upper middle-income Pacific island economy; extremely environmentally fragile; currency pegged to Australian dollar; large international aid recipient; subsistence agrarian sector; Te Kakeega sustainable development; domain name licensing incomes

$62.28 million (2023 est.)

coconuts, vegetables, tropical fruits, bananas, root vegetables, pork, chicken, eggs, pork fat, pork offal (2023)

fishing

Thailand 88%, Japan 6%, Philippines 3%, Ireland 1%, USA 1% (2023)

fish (2023)

China 42%, Fiji 24%, Japan 11%, Australia 11%, NZ 4% (2023)

ships, refined petroleum, iron structures, fish, hand tools (2023)

no TV stations; many households use satellite dishes to watch foreign TV; 1 state-owned radio station, Radio Tuvalu, includes relays from international broadcasters (2019)

.tv

T2

1 (2025)

no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force

as part of the Falepili Union treaty between Australia and Tuvalu, which entered into force in August 2024, Australia committed to assist Tuvalu in response to a major natural disaster, health pandemic, or military aggression; Tuvalu pledged to mutually agree with Australia any partnership, arrangement, or engagement with any other State or entity on security and defense-related matters in Tuvalu<br><br>Tuvalu has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Tuvalu's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2025)