Tuvalu Destination Guide

Tuvalu was formerly known as the Ellice Islands and is three islands and six atolls located north of Fiji in the Pacific Ocean, about half way between Australia and Hawaii.

A 2017 census determined that it had a population of 10,645, making it the second-least populous country in the world, behind Vatican City. Its total land area is just 26 square kilometres or 10 sq miles.

In the 1970s it and another former British colony of islands , the Gilbert Islands( now Kiribati) became independent and decided to becoming separate states rather than merge as a single entity .

The islands do not have a significant amount of soil, so the country relies heavily on imports and fishing for food. Licensing fishing permits to international companies, grants and aid projects, and remittances to their families from Tuvaluan seafarers who work on cargo ships are important parts of the economy.

Because it is a low-lying island nation, the country is extremely vulnerable to sea level rise due to climate change. It is active in international climate negotiations as part of the Alliance of Small Island States, campaigning to influence international environmental policy.