Tuvalu

Overview

The tourist trade is not strong in one of the world's smallest nations, which should be welcome to those trying to avoid over-crowded destinations. The Funafati lagoon provides wonderful swimming and snorkelling before eating a range of exciting fruit. One risk though is that with rising sea levels, the government has been prompted to buy land in Fiji in case the removal of the population is necessary.Tuvalu consists of nine remote atolls in the great Pacific. The islands are low-lying coral formations, covered by coconut palms. The nearest island nations are Fiji to the South, Kiribati to the North, Samoa to the East and the Solomon Islands to the West.

In 1995 Tuvalu's population was estimated at 9,900, one third of these living on Funafuti Atoll. Tuvaluans are ethnic Polynesians. With a land area of 30 square kilometres (12 square miles) Tuvalu is reckoned the world's 4th smallest nation. It is a realm of Queen Elizabeth II represented by a Governor General. The Parliament has only 12 members and the Prime Minister leads the party with the most number of seats.

Fongafale on Funafuti atoll is the capital of Tuvalu and the administration offices, a hotel, the jail and the hospital are all located there. The main languages are Tuvaluan (related to several languages in the region, especially Samoan) and English. Both languages are taught in schools.

History

In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over the next dozen years.