View source for Tuvalu

{{Short description|Country in Oceania}}
{{about|the country}}
{{redirect|Ellice Islands|Ellis Island in New York|Ellis Island}}
{{distinguish|Tuva|Tuval}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = 
| conventional_long_name = Tuvalu
| common_name            = Tuvalu
| image_flag             = Flag of Tuvalu.svg
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Tuvalu.svg
| royal_anthem           = “[[God Save the King]]”<br>
| image_map              = Tuvalu on the globe (Polynesia centered).svg
| national_motto         = [[Atua|Tuvalu mo te Atua]] ([[Tuvaluan language|Tuvaluan]])<br />"Tuvalu for the Almighty"
| national_anthem        = [[Tuvalu mo te Atua]] ([[Tuvaluan language|Tuvaluan]])<br>"Tuvalu for the Almighty"<br>[[File:Tuvalu mo te Atua.ogg]]
| official_languages     = {{hlist |[[Tuvaluan language|Tuvaluan]] |[[English language|English]]}}
| religion               = {{tree list}}
* 96% [[Christianity]]
** 86% [[Church of Tuvalu|Calvinism]] ([[State religion|official]])
** 10% other [[List of Christian denominations|Christian]]
* 3% Other religions or not stated
* 1% [[Baháʼí Faith]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| religion_year          = 2022
| religion_ref           = <ref name="2022 religion">{{Cite web |url=https://stats.gov.tv/download/85/population-and-housing-census/1836/tuvalu_2022_census_report.pdf |title=Tuvalu 2022 Census on Population and Housing – Analytical report |publisher=Tuvalu Central Statistics Division |date=March 2025 |page=11}}</ref>
| demonym                = Tuvaluan
| ethnic_groups          = {{unbulleted list | 96% [[Demographics of Tuvalu|Tuvaluans]] | 4% others}}
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2022
| capital                = [[Funafuti]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|8|31|S|179|12|E|type:city}}
| largest_city           = [[Funafuti]]
| government_type        = Unitary [[parliamentary constitutional monarchy]]
| leader_title1          = [[Monarchy of Tuvalu|Monarch]]
| leader_name1           = [[Charles III]]
| leader_title2          = [[Governor-General of Tuvalu|Governor-General]]
| leader_name2           = [[Tofiga Vaevalu Falani]]
| leader_title3          = [[Prime Minister of Tuvalu|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name3           = [[Feleti Teo]]
| legislature            = [[Parliament of Tuvalu|Parliament]]
| sovereignty_type       = Independence
| established_event1     = from the United Kingdom
| established_date1      = 1 October 1978
| area_rank              = 192nd <!-- Should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| area_km2               = 25.14
| area_footnote          = 
| area_sq_mi             = 9.71 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water          = negligible
| population_census      = 10,643
| population_census_year = 2022
| population_census_rank = 194th
| population_density_km2 = 423
| population_density_sq_mi = 1,096 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| population_density_rank = 41st
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $68.603 million<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_PPP_rank           = <!--cia.gov-->
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2023
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $6,076<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = <!--cia.gov-->
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2023
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $63 million<ref name=imf2>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook database (Tuvalu) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=869,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2024&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |work=World Economic Outlook, October 2023 |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |date=October 2023 |access-date=17 January 2024 |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117224522/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=869,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2024&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $6,113<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 
| Gini_year              = 2022
| Gini_change            = steady<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini                   = 39
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{Cite book |last=Menaouer |first=Olivier |url=https://stats.gov.tv/download/86/household-income-and-expenditure-survey-hies/1652/tuvalu_2022_hies_report.pdf |title=Tuvalu Household Income & Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2022–23 |publisher=Pacific Community |year=2024 |isbn=978-982-00-1585-2 |location=Noumea, New Caledonia |language=en| page=61}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI_year               = 2023 <!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change             = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI                    = 0.689 <!--number only-->
| HDI_ref                = <ref>{{Cite web|date= 6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2023/2024|url= https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/TUV|access-date=6 May 2025|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 129th
| currency               = {{plainlist|
* [[Tuvaluan dollar]]
* [[Australian dollar]]
}}
| currency_code          = AUD
| time_zone              = 
| utc_offset             = +12
| time_zone_DST          = 
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| drives_on              = left
| calling_code           = [[+688]]
| cctld                  = [[.tv]]
| today                  = 
}}

'''Tuvalu''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Tuvalu.ogg|t|uː|ˈ|v|ɑː|l|uː}} {{respell|too|VAH|loo}})<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tuvalu |chapter=The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195584516.001.0001/m-en_nz-msdict-00001-0056725 |access-date=18 February 2022 |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195584516.001.0001 |editor-first1=Tony |editor-last1=Deverson |editor-first2=Graeme |editor-last2=Kennedy |year=2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-558451-6 |archive-date=28 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228234623/https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195584516.001.0001/m-en_nz-msdict-00001-0056725 |url-status=live}}</ref> is an [[island country]] in the [[Polynesia]]n sub-region of [[Oceania]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]], about midway between [[Hawaii]] and [[Australia]]. It lies 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 [[atoll]]s spread out between the [[latitude]] of [[5th parallel south|5°]] and [[10th parallel south|10° south]] and between the [[longitude]] of [[176th meridian east|176°]] and [[180th meridian|180°]]. They lie west of the [[International Date Line]].<ref name="MAP">{{cite web |url=https://www.mapsland.com/oceania/tuvalu |title=Maps of Tuvalu |access-date=15 January 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608111352/https://www.mapsland.com/oceania/tuvalu |url-status=live}}</ref> The 2022 census determined that Tuvalu had a population of 10,643,<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://spccfpstore1.blob.core.windows.net/digitallibrary-docs/files/f6/f63bae1b56af7cbcc4b51f8568ce4985.pdf?sv=2015-12-11&sr=b&sig=RRqqoeJ0R%2FrDqckPotySlFcUX1UYLrD%2FbrTMfyGNh40%3D&se=2025-10-03T10%3A38%3A37Z&sp=r&rscc=public%2C%20max-age%3D864000%2C%20max-stale%3D86400&rsct=application%2Fpdf&rscd=inline%3B%20filename%3D%22Tuvalu_2022_Census_Report.pdf%22 |title=Tuvalu 2022 census on population and housing: analytical report |date=March 2025 |publisher=Pacific Community |isbn=978-982-00-1617-0 |location=Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=5}} making it the [[List of countries by population|194th most populous country]], exceeding only [[Niue]] and the [[Vatican City]] in population. Tuvalu's total land area is {{convert|25.14|km2|sqmi}}.<ref name=":1" />

The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were [[Polynesians]] arriving as part of the [[History of the Polynesian people|migration of Polynesians into the Pacific]] that began about three thousand years ago.<ref name=Howe1>{{cite book |last=Howe |first=Kerry |title=The Quest for Origins |year=2003 |publisher=Penguin |location=New Zealand |isbn=0-14-301857-4 |pages=68–70}}</ref> Long before European contact with the [[List of islands in the Pacific Ocean|Pacific islands]], Polynesians frequently voyaged by canoe between the islands. [[Polynesian navigation]] skills enabled them to make elaborately planned journeys in either [[Austronesian vessels|double-hulled sailing canoes]] or [[outrigger canoe]]s.<ref name="Belwood1">{{cite book |last1=Bellwood |first1=Peter |title=The Polynesians – Prehistory of an Island People |year=1987 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |pages=39–44}}</ref> 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 outlier]]s in [[Melanesia]] and [[Micronesia]].<ref name="Belwood2">{{cite book |last1=Bellwood |first1=Peter |title=The Polynesians – Prehistory of an Island People |year=1987 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |pages=29 & 54}}</ref><ref name="Bayard">{{cite book |last1=Bayard |first1=D.T. |title=The Cultural Relationships of the Polynesian Outliers |year=1976 |publisher=Otago University, Studies in Prehistoric Anthropology, Vol. 9}}</ref><ref name="Kirch">{{cite book |last1=Kirch |first1=P.V. |title=The Polynesian Outliers |year=1984 |publisher=95 (4) Journal of Pacific History |pages=224–238}}</ref>

In 1568, Spanish explorer and [[cartographer]] [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira|Álvaro de Mendaña]] became the first European known to sail through the archipelago, sighting the island of [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]] during an expedition he was making in search of [[Terra Australis]]. The island of [[Funafuti]], currently serving as the capital, 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Treaty_between_Great_Britain_and_Germany_relating_to_the_Demarcation_of_the_Spheres_of_Influence |title=Declaration between the Governments of Great Britain and the German Empire relating to the Demarcation of the British and German Spheres of Influence in the Western Pacific, signed at Berlin, April 6, 1886 |year=1886 |access-date=22 October 2017 |archive-date=22 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022141706/https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Treaty_between_Great_Britain_and_Germany_relating_to_the_Demarcation_of_the_Spheres_of_Influence |url-status=live}}</ref> Between 9 and 16 October 1892, Captain [[Herbert William Sumner Gibson|Herbert Gibson]] of {{HMS|Curacoa|1878|6}} declared each of the Ellice Islands a [[British protectorates|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.

A [[1974 Ellice Islands self-determination referendum|referendum was held in 1974]] to determine whether the Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands should each have their own administration.<ref name="PIM174-8">{{cite web |last= |first= |work=45(8) Pacific Islands Monthly |title=Moment of Decision for Ellice |date=1 August 1974 |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333436664/view?sectionId=nla.obj-338519758&partId=nla.obj-333504166#page/n17/mode/1up |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002095252/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333436664/view?sectionId=nla.obj-338519758&partId=nla.obj-333504166#page/n17/mode/1up |url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony legally ceased to exist on 1 October 1975; on 1 January 1976, the old administration was officially separated,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-7-1-2012-McIntyre.pdf |title=The Partition of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands |work=Island Studies Journal, Vol. 7, No.1, 2012 |pages=135–146 |author=W. David McIntyre |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=2 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202095641/https://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-7-1-2012-McIntyre.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> and two separate British colonies, [[Kiribati]] and Tuvalu, were formed. On 1 October 1978, Tuvalu became fully independent as a [[sovereign state]] within [[the Commonwealth]], and is a [[constitutional monarchy]] with [[King Charles III|Charles III]] as [[Monarchy of Tuvalu|King of Tuvalu]]. On 5 September 2000, Tuvalu became the [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1290|189th member of the United Nations]].

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, Tuvalu is extremely vulnerable to [[sea level rise]] due to [[Climate change in Tuvalu|climate change]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tuvalu: The disappearing island nation recreating itself in the metaverse |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241121-tuvalu-the-pacific-islands-creating-a-digital-nation-in-the-metaverse-due-to-climate-change |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=www.bbc.com |date=21 November 2024 |language=en-GB}}</ref> It is active in international climate negotiations as part of the [[Alliance of Small Island States]].

{{TOC level|3}}

==History==
{{main|History of Tuvalu}}
{{see also|Timeline of the history of Tuvalu|Outline of Tuvalu}}

===Prehistory===
The [[History of the Polynesian people|origins of the people of Tuvalu]] are addressed in the theories regarding the migration into the Pacific that began about 3,000 years ago. During pre-European-contact times, there was frequent canoe voyaging between the nearer islands including Samoa and [[Tonga]].<ref name=Howe>{{cite book |last=Howe |first=Kerry |title=The Quest for Origins |year=2003 |publisher=Penguin |location=New Zealand |isbn=0-14-301857-4 |pages=68, 70}}</ref> Eight of the nine islands of Tuvalu were inhabited. This explains the origin of the name, Tuvalu, which means 'eight standing together' in [[Tuvaluan language|Tuvaluan]] (compare to ''*walu'' meaning 'eight' in [[Proto-Austronesian language#Numerals|Proto-Austronesian]]). Possible evidence of human-made fires in the [[Caves of Nanumanga]] suggests humans may have occupied the islands for thousands of years.

An important [[Tuvaluan mythology|creation myth in the islands of Tuvalu]] is the story of ''te Pusi mo te Ali'' (the Eel and the Flounder), who are said to have created the [[islands of Tuvalu]]. ''Te Ali'' (the [[Bothidae|flounder]]) is believed to be the origin of the flat [[atoll]]s of Tuvalu and ''te Pusi'' (the [[Moray eel|eel]]) is the model for the [[coconut]] palms that are important in the lives of Tuvaluans. The stories of the ancestors of the Tuvaluans vary from island to island. On [[Niutao]],<ref name="PAS">{{cite book |author=Sogivalu, Pulekau A. |title=A Brief History of Niutao |year=1992 |publisher=Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific |isbn=982-02-0058-X}}</ref> Funafuti and [[Vaitupu]], the founding ancestor is described as being from Samoa,<ref name="Genesis 1983">O'Brien, Talakatoa in ''Tuvalu: A History'', Chapter 1, Genesis</ref><ref name="Kennedy">{{cite journal |author=Kennedy, Donald G. |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_38_1929/Field_notes_on_the_culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_Donald_Gilbert_Kennedy%2C_p_1-99/p1?action=null |title=Field Notes on the Culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |volume=38 |year=1929 |pages=2–5 |access-date=23 January 2012 |archive-date=15 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015043119/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_38_1929/Field_notes_on_the_culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_Donald_Gilbert_Kennedy%2C_p_1-99/p1?action=null |url-status=dead}}</ref> whereas on [[Nanumea]], the founding ancestor is described as being from [[Tonga]].<ref name="Genesis 1983"/>

===Early contacts with other cultures===
[[File:Tuvalu costume.jpg|thumb|upright|A Tuvaluan man in traditional attire drawn by [[Alfred Agate]] in 1841, during the [[United States Exploring Expedition]]<ref name=Stanton>{{cite book |last1=Stanton |first1=William |title=The Great United States Exploring Expedition |date=1975 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=0520025571 |page=[https://archive.org/details/greatunitedstate00will/page/240 240] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/greatunitedstate00will/page/240}}</ref>]]

Tuvalu was first sighted by Europeans on 16 January 1568, during the voyage of [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira|Álvaro de Mendaña]] from Spain, who sailed past [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]] and charted it as ''Isla de Jesús'' (Spanish for "Island of Jesus") because the previous day was the feast of the [[Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus|Holy Name]]. Mendaña made contact with the islanders but was unable to land.<ref name="Estensen2006">{{cite book |last=Estensen |first=Miriam |title=Terra Australis Incognita; The Spanish Quest for the Mysterious Great South Land |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Australia |date=2006 |isbn=1-74175-054-7}}</ref><ref name="HEMaude59">{{cite journal |first=H.E. |last=Maude |title=Spanish Discoveries in the Central Pacific: A Study in Identification |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_68_1959/Volume_68,_No._4/Spanish_discoveries_in_the_Pacific,_by_H._E._Maude,_p_285-326/p1 |year=1959 |volume=68 |issue=4 |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |pages=284–326 |access-date=4 May 2013 |archive-date=10 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210235215/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_68_1959/Volume_68%2C_No._4/Spanish_discoveries_in_the_Pacific%2C_by_H._E._Maude%2C_p_285-326/p1 |url-status=dead}}</ref> During Mendaña's second voyage across the Pacific, he passed [[Niulakita]] on 29 August 1595, which he named ''La Solitaria''.<ref name="HEMaude59"/><ref name="KSDDM">{{cite journal |author1=Chambers, Keith S. |author2=Munro, Doug |name-list-style=amp |title=The Mystery of Gran Cocal: European Discovery and Mis-Discovery in Tuvalu |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_89_1980/Volume_89,_No._2/The_%26apos%3Bmystery%26apos%3B_of_Gran_Cocal%3A_European_discovery_and_mis-discovery_in_Tuvalu,_by_Doug_Munro,_p_167-198/p1 |year=1980 |volume=89 |issue=2 |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |pages=167–198 |access-date=10 March 2013 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215134048/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_89_1980/Volume_89%2C_No._2/The_%26apos%3Bmystery%26apos%3B_of_Gran_Cocal%3A_European_discovery_and_mis-discovery_in_Tuvalu%2C_by_Doug_Munro%2C_p_167-198/p1 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Captain [[John Byron]] passed through the islands of Tuvalu in 1764, during his circumnavigation of the globe as captain of the {{HMS|Dolphin|1751|3}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.solarnavigator.net/circumnavigation.htm |title=Circumnavigation: Notable global maritime circumnavigations |publisher=Solarnavigator.net |access-date=20 July 2009 |archive-date=27 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527004126/http://www.solarnavigator.net/circumnavigation.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> He charted the atolls as ''Lagoon Islands''. The first recorded sighting of [[Nanumea]] by Europeans was by Spanish naval officer [[Francisco Antonio Mourelle|Francisco Mourelle de la Rúa]] who sailed past it on 5 May 1781 as captain of the frigate ''La Princesa'', when attempting a southern crossing of the Pacific from the Philippines to [[New Spain]]. He charted Nanumea as ''San Augustin''.<ref name="chambersmunro">Keith S. Chambers & Doug Munro, ''The Mystery of Gran Cocal: European Discovery and Mis-Discovery in Tuvalu'', 89(2) (1980) ''[[The Journal of the Polynesian Society]]'', 167–198</ref><ref>Laumua Kofe, Palagi and Pastors, ''Tuvalu: A History'', Ch. 15, (USP / Tuvalu government)</ref> Keith S. Chambers and Doug Munro (1980) identified [[Niutao]] as the island that Mourelle also sailed past on 5 May 1781, thus solving what Europeans had called ''The Mystery of Gran Cocal''.<ref name="KSDDM"/><ref name="Laumua Kofe 1983">Kofe, Laumua; Palagi and Pastors in ''Tuvalu: A History'', Ch. 15</ref> Mourelle's map and journal named the island ''El Gran Cocal'' ('The Great Coconut Plantation'); however, the latitude and longitude was uncertain.<ref name="Laumua Kofe 1983"/> Longitude could be reckoned only crudely at the time, as accurate [[Marine chronometer|chronometers]] did not become available until the late 18th century.

In 1809, Captain Patterson in the brig ''Elizabeth'' sighted Nanumea while passing through the northern Tuvalu waters on a trading voyage from Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia to China.<ref name="chambersmunro" />
In May 1819, Arent Schuyler de Peyster, of New York, captain of the armed [[brigantine]] or [[privateer]] ''Rebecca'', sailing under British colours,<ref name="DeP1">{{Cite web |url=http://archive.org/details/cihm_04051 |title=Military (1776–'79) transactions of Major, afterwards Colonel, 8th or King's foot, Arent Schuyler de Peyster... [microform] |first1=J. Watts (John Watts) |last1=De Peyster |first2=Arent Schuyler |last2=De Peyster |date=6 December 1800 |publisher=S.l. : s.n. |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name="DeP2">[http://corbett-family-history.com/de-peyster The De Peysters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703170833/http://corbett-family-history.com/de-peyster |date=3 July 2017 }}. corbett-family-history.com</ref> passed through the southern Tuvaluan waters. De Peyster sighted [[Nukufetau]], and Funafuti which he named Ellice's Island after an English politician, [[Edward Ellice (merchant)|Edward Ellice]], the Member of Parliament for Coventry and the owner of the ''Rebecca''{{'}}s cargo.<ref name="Laumua Kofe 1983"/><ref name="HEMaude86">{{cite journal |first=H.E. |last=Maude |title=Post-Spanish Discoveries in the Central Pacific |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_70_1961/Volume_70,_No._1/Post-Spanish_discoveries_in_the_central_Pacific,_by_H._E._Maude,_p_67-111/p1 |date=November 1986 |volume=70 |issue=1 |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |pages=67–111 |access-date=4 May 2013 |archive-date=14 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314175411/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_70_1961/Volume_70%2C_No._1/Post-Spanish_discoveries_in_the_central_Pacific%2C_by_H._E._Maude%2C_p_67-111/p1 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PIM1964-11">{{cite web |last= |first= |work=35(11) Pacific Islands Monthly |title=What's In A Name? Ellice Islands Commemorate Long-Forgotten Politician |date=1 June 1966 |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-325281389/view?sectionId=nla.obj-333938427&partId=nla.obj-325342876#page/n84/mode/1up |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-date=11 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411075300/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-325281389/view?sectionId=nla.obj-333938427&partId=nla.obj-325342876#page/n84/mode/1up |url-status=live}}</ref> The name Ellice was applied to all nine islands after the work of English [[hydrographer]] [[Alexander George Findlay]].<ref>''A Directory for the Navigation of the Pacific Ocean: With Description of Its Coasts, Islands, Etc. from the Strait of Magalhaens to the Arctic Sea'' (1851)</ref>

In 1820, the Russian explorer [[Mikhail Lazarev]] visited Nukufetau as commander of the ''[[Mirny (sloop-of-war)|Mirny]]''.<ref name="Laumua Kofe 1983"/> [[Louis-Isidore Duperrey]], captain of [[French ship Astrolabe (1811)|''La Coquille'']], sailed past [[Nanumanga]] in May 1824 during a circumnavigation of the Earth (1822–1825).<ref name="DDN">{{cite journal |first1=Doug |last1=Munro |first2=Keith S. |last2=Chambers |title=Duperrey and the Discovery of Nanumaga in 1824: an episode in Pacific exploration |journal=Great Circle |volume=11 |year=1989 |pages=37–43}}</ref> A Dutch expedition by the frigate ''Maria Reigersberg''<ref name="DW">{{cite web |title=Dutch warships available but not in active service in August 1834 |date=3 December 2011 |url=http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/dutch-warships-avaible-but-not-in.html |access-date=22 March 2016}}</ref> under captain Koerzen, and the corvette ''Pollux'' under captain C. Eeg, found [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]] on the morning of 14 June 1825 and named the main island ([[Fenua Tapu (isle)|Fenua Tapu]]) as ''Nederlandsch Eiland''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/aanteekeningeng00troogoog#page/n13/mode/2up |title=Pieter Troost: ''Aanteekeningen gehouden op eene reis om de wereld: met het fregat de Maria Reigersberg en de ...'' |year=1829 |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref>

[[Whaling|Whalers]] began roving the Pacific, although they visited Tuvalu only infrequently because of the difficulties of landing on the atolls. The American Captain George Barrett of the [[Nantucket]] whaler ''Independence II'' has been identified as the first whaler to hunt the waters around Tuvalu.<ref name="HEMaude86" /> He bartered coconuts from the people of [[Nukulaelae]] in November 1821, and also visited [[Niulakita]].<ref name="KSDDM"/> He established a shore camp on [[Sakalua]] islet of [[Nukufetau]], where coal was used to melt down the whale blubber.<ref name="TAH16">{{cite book |first1=Simati |last1=Faanin |editor-first1=Hugh |editor-last1=Laracy |title=Tuvalu: A History |year=1983 |publisher=Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Government of Tuvalu |page=122 |chapter=Chapter 16 – Travellers and Workers}}</ref>

Christianity came to Tuvalu in 1861 when [[Elekana]], a deacon of a [[Congregational church]] in [[Manihiki]], [[Cook Islands]], became caught in a storm and drifted for eight weeks before landing at Nukulaelae on 10 May 1861.<ref name="Laumua Kofe 1983"/><ref name="MGDM">{{cite book |author1=Goldsmith, Michael |author2=Munro, Doug |name-list-style=amp |title=The accidental missionary: tales of Elekana |year=2002 |publisher=Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury |isbn=1877175331}}</ref> Elekana began [[evangelism|preaching]] Christianity. He was trained at [[Malua]] Theological College, a [[London Missionary Society]] (LMS) school in Samoa, before beginning his work in establishing the [[Church of Tuvalu]].<ref name="Laumua Kofe 1983"/> In 1865, the Rev. Archibald Wright Murray of the LMS, a [[Protestant]] congregationalist missionary society, arrived as the first European missionary; he also evangelised among the inhabitants of Tuvalu. By 1878 Protestantism was considered well established, as there were preachers on each island.<ref name="Laumua Kofe 1983"/> In the later 19th and early 20th centuries, the ministers of what became the [[Church of Tuvalu]] (''Te Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu'') were predominantly Samoans,<ref name="Goldsmith">{{cite journal |author=Goldsmith, Michael |title=The Colonial and Postcolonial Roots of Ethnonationalism in Tuvalu |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |volume=121 |year=2012 |issue=2 |pages=129–150 |doi=10.15286/jps.121.2.129-150 |doi-access=free}}</ref> who influenced the development of the [[Tuvaluan language]] and the [[music of Tuvalu]].<ref name="MD">{{cite book |first=D. |last=Munro |chapter=Samoan Pastors in Tuvalu, 1865–1899 |year=1996 |publisher=Suva, Fiji, Pacific Theological College and the University of the South Pacific |pages=124–157 |title=The Covenant Makers: Islander Missionaries in the Pacific |editor=D. Munro & A. Thornley |isbn=9820201268}}</ref>

For less than a year between 1862 and 1863, Peruvian ships engaged in the so-called "[[blackbirding]]" trade, by which they recruited or impressed workers, combed the smaller islands of [[Polynesia]] from [[Easter Island]] in the eastern Pacific to Tuvalu and the southern atolls of the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati). They sought recruits to fill the extreme labour shortage in Peru.<ref>Maude, H.E. (1981) ''Slavers in Paradise'', Stanford University Press, {{ISBN|0804711062}}.</ref> On Funafuti and Nukulaelae, the resident traders facilitated the recruiting of the islanders by the "blackbirders".<ref name="Doug Munro 1987">Doug Munro, ''The Lives and Times of Resident Traders in Tuvalu: An Exercise in History from Below'', (1987) 10(2) Pacific Studies 73</ref> The Rev. Archibald Wright Murray,<ref>Murray A.W. (1876). ''Forty Years' Mission Work''. London: Nisbet</ref> the earliest European missionary in Tuvalu, reported that in 1863 about 170 people were taken from Funafuti and about 250 were taken from Nukulaelae,<ref name="Laumua Kofe 1983"/> as there were fewer than 100 of the 300 recorded in 1861 as living on Nukulaelae.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Newton, W.F. |title=The Early Population of the Ellice Islands |volume=76 |issue=2 |year=1967 |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |pages=197–204}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bedford, Richard |author2=Macdonald, Barrie |author3=Munro, Doug |name-list-style=amp |title=Population Estimates for Kiribati and Tuvalu |year=1980 |volume=89 |issue=1 |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |page=199}}</ref>

The islands came into Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century, when each of the Ellice Islands was declared a [[British protectorate]] by Captain [[Herbert William Sumner Gibson|Herbert Gibson]] of {{HMS|Curacoa|1878|6}}, between 9 and 16 October 1892.<ref name="TAHNPT">{{cite book |first1=Noatia P. |last1=Teo |editor-first1=Hugh |editor-last1=Laracy |title=Tuvalu: A History |year=1983 |publisher=University of the South Pacific/Government of Tuvalu |pages=127–139 |chapter=Chapter 17, Colonial Rule}}</ref>

===Trading firms and traders===
[[File:Tuvalu - Location Map (2013) - TUV - UNOCHA.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|[[Islands of Tuvalu]]]]
Trading companies became active in Tuvalu in the mid-19th century; the trading companies engaged white ([[palagi]]) traders who lived on the islands. John (also known as Jack) O'Brien was the first European to settle in Tuvalu; he became a trader on Funafuti in the 1850s. He married Salai, the daughter of the paramount chief of Funafuti. [[George Lewis Becke|Louis Becke]], who later found success as a writer, was a trader on [[Nanumanga]] from April 1880 until the trading station was destroyed later that year in a [[cyclone]].<ref name="DAG">{{cite book |author=A. Grove Day |title=Louis Becke |year=1967 |publisher=Hill of Content |location=Melbourne |pages=30–34}}</ref> He then became a trader on [[Nukufetau]].<ref name="DAG1">{{cite book |author=A. Grove Day |title=Louis Becke |year=1967 |publisher=Hill of Content |location=Melbourne |page=35}}</ref><ref name="SON">{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Sally |last=O'Neill  |title=George Lewis (Louis) Becke (1855–1913) |id2=becke-george-lewis-louis-5177 |year=1979 |volume=7 |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="M&D">{{cite book |author=Mitchener, James A. |title=Rascals in Paradise |year=1957 |publisher=Secker & Warburg |chapter=Louis Beck, Adventurer and Writer}}</ref>

In 1892, Captain [[Edward H. M. Davis|Edward Davis]] of {{HMS|Royalist|1883|6}} reported on trading activities and traders on each of the islands visited. Captain Davis identified the following traders in the Ellice Group: Edmund Duffy ([[Nanumea]]); [[Jack Buckland]] ([[Niutao]]); Harry Nitz ([[Vaitupu]]); Jack O'Brien (Funafuti); [[Alfred Restieaux]] and Emile Fenisot ([[Nukufetau]]); and [[Christian Martin Kleis|Martin Kleis]] ([[Nui (atoll)|Nui]]).<ref name="JRdd">{{cite book |title=The proceedings of H.M.S. "Royalist", Captain E.H.M. Davis, R.N., May–August, 1892, in the Gilbert, Ellice and Marshall Islands}}</ref><ref name="AM1909">{{cite book |last1=Mahaffy |first1=Arthur |title=Report by Mr. Arthur Mahaffy on a visit to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands |year=1910 |publisher=Great Britain, Colonial Office, High Commission for Western Pacific Islands (London: His Majesty's Stationery Office) |chapter=(CO 225/86/26804) |chapter-url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2367/ |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-date=21 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321133610/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/2367/ |url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, the greatest number of palagi traders lived on the atolls, acting as agents for the trading companies. Some islands would have competing traders, while dryer islands might only have a single trader.<ref name="Doug Munro 1987"/>

In the 1890s, structural changes occurred in the operation of the Pacific trading companies; they moved from a practice of having traders resident on each island to instead becoming a business operation where the [[supercargo]] (the cargo manager of a trading ship) would deal directly with the islanders when a ship visited an island.<ref name="Doug Munro 1987"/> After the high point in the 1880s,<ref name="Doug Munro 1987"/> the numbers of palagi traders in Tuvalu declined; the last of them were [[Fred Whibley]] on Niutao, [[Alfred Restieaux]] on Nukufetau,<ref name="AR1">{{cite book |first=Alfred |last=Restieaux |title=Recollections of a South Seas Trader – Reminiscences of Alfred Restieaux |publisher=National Library of New Zealand, MS 7022-2}}</ref><ref name="AR2">{{cite book |first=Alfred |last=Restieaux |title=Reminiscences – Alfred Restieaux Part 2 (Pacific Islands) |publisher=National Library of New Zealand, MS-Papers-0061-079A}}</ref> and [[Christian Martin Kleis|Martin Kleis]] on Nui.<ref name="AM1909"/> By 1909 there were no more resident palagi traders representing the trading companies,<ref name="AM1909"/><ref name="Doug Munro 1987"/> although Whibley, Restieaux and Kleis<ref name="TPB12">{{cite web |title=Christian Martin Kleis |url=http://stampsoftuvalu.com/newsletter/2012-02.pdf |year=2012 |publisher=TPB 02/2012 Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau |access-date=19 November 2018 |archive-date=2 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102024506/https://stampsoftuvalu.com/newsletter/2012-02.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> remained in the islands until their deaths.

===Scientific expeditions and travellers===
[[File:Nukufetauman1831.jpg|thumb|left|A man from the [[Nukufetau]] atoll, drawn by [[Alfred Thomas Agate]] in 1841]]
The [[United States Exploring Expedition]] under [[Charles Wilkes]] visited [[Funafuti]], [[Nukufetau]], and [[Vaitupu]] in 1841.<ref>Tyler, David B. – 1968 ''The Wilkes Expedition. The First United States Exploring Expedition'' (1838–42). Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society</ref> During this expedition, engraver and illustrator [[Alfred Thomas Agate]] recorded the dress and tattoo patterns of the men of Nukufetau.<ref name="smith">{{cite book |author=Wilkes, Charles |title=Ellice's and Kingsmill's Group |chapter-url=http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/usexex/ |publisher=The First United States Exploring Expedition (1838–42) [[Smithsonian Institution]] |volume=5 |chapter=2 |pages=35–75 |access-date=13 April 2011 |archive-date=20 September 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030920160451/http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/usexex/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1885 or 1886, the New Zealand photographer [[Thomas Andrew (photographer)|Thomas Andrew]] visited Funafuti<ref name="AT2">{{cite web |last=Andrew |first=Thomas |title=Washing Hole Funafuti. From the album: Views in the Pacific Islands |publisher=Collection of Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) |year=1886 |url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?irn=1238498 |access-date=10 April 2014 |archive-date=11 April 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140411050242/http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?irn=1238498 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]].<ref name="AT3">{{cite web |last=Andrew |first=Thomas |title=Mission House Nui. From the album: Views in the Pacific Islands |publisher=Collection of Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) |year=1886 |url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?irn=1238504 |access-date=10 April 2014 |archive-date=11 April 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140411050856/http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?irn=1238504 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AT4">{{cite web |last=Andrew |first=Thomas |title=Bread fruit tree Nui. From the album: Views in the Pacific Islands |publisher=Collection of Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) |year=1886 |url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?irn=1238500 |access-date=10 April 2014 |archive-date=11 April 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140411050810/http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?irn=1238500 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1890, [[Robert Louis Stevenson]], his wife [[Fanny Van de Grift|Fanny Vandegrift Stevenson]] and her son [[Lloyd Osbourne]] sailed on the ''Janet Nicoll'', a trading steamer owned by [[Thomas Henderson (New Zealand politician)|Henderson and Macfarlane]] of Auckland, New Zealand, which operated between Sydney and Auckland and into the central Pacific.<ref name="Flude">[http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~tonyf/CSL/ ''The Circular Saw Shipping Line.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609213056/http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~tonyf/CSL/ |date=9 June 2011 }} Anthony G. Flude. 1993. (Chapter 7)</ref> The ''Janet Nicoll'' visited three of the Ellice Islands;<ref>''Janet Nicoll'' is the correct spelling of the trading steamer owned by Henderson and Macfarlane of Auckland, New Zealand, which operated between Sydney, Auckland and into the central Pacific. [[Fanny Van de Grift|Fanny Vandegrift Stevenson]] misnames the ship as the ''Janet Nicol'' in her account of the 1890 voyage</ref> while Fanny records that they made landfall at Funafuti, Niutao and [[Nanumea]], Jane Resture suggests that it was more likely they landed at Nukufetau rather than Funafuti,<ref name=RSL>{{cite web |title=The Tuvalu Visit of Robert Louis Stevenson |url=http://www.janeresture.com/index.htm |publisher=Jane Resture’s Oceania |access-date=20 December 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215064230/http://www.janeresture.com/index.htm |archive-date=15 December 2005}}</ref> as Fanny describes meeting [[Alfred Restieaux]] and his wife Litia; however, they had been living on Nukufetau since the 1880s.<ref name="AR1"/><ref name="AR2"/> An account of this voyage was written by Fanny Stevenson and published under the title ''The Cruise of the Janet Nichol'',<ref>Stevenson, Fanny Van de Grift (1914) [https://archive.org/details/cruisejanetnich01stevgoog ''The Cruise of the Janet Nichol among the South Sea Islands''], republished in 2003, Roslyn Jolly (ed.), U. of Washington Press/U. of New South Wales Press, {{ISBN|0868406066}}</ref> together with photographs taken by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne.

In 1894, Count Rudolf [[Festetics family|Festetics]] de Tolna, his wife Eila (''née'' Haggin) and her daughter Blanche Haggin visited Funafuti aboard the yacht ''Le Tolna''.<ref>Festetics De Tolna, Comte Rodolphe (1903) ''Chez les cannibales: huit ans de croisière dans l'océan Pacifique à bord du'', Paris: Plon-Nourrit</ref> The Count spent several days photographing men and women on Funafuti.<ref name="QBFR">{{cite book |title="The Aristocrat and His Cannibals" Count Festetics von Tolna's travels in Oceania, 1893–1896 |publisher=musée du quai Branly |date=2007}}</ref><ref name="NMK">{{cite web |title=Néprajzi Múzeum Könyvtára |url=http://www.neprajz.hu/ |publisher=The library of the Ethnographic Museum of Hungary |access-date=20 September 2011 |archive-date=21 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721111935/http://www.neprajz.hu/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:H-C-Fassett-Ellice-Is-1900.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=1900, Woman on Funafuti, Tuvalu, then known as Ellice Islands|Woman on Funafuti (1900)<br />Photograph by [[Harry Clifford Fassett]]]]
The boreholes on Funafuti, at the site now called ''Darwin's Drill'',<ref name="PDN">{{cite book |last1=Lal |first1=Andrick |title=South Pacific Sea Level & Climate Monitoring Project – Funafuti atoll |url=http://www.pacificdisaster.net/oip/FinalReport/Annex/3_Survey%20LDP/Survey_Diagrams_JPACE-TV.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203011855/http://www.pacificdisaster.net/oip/FinalReport/Annex/3_Survey%20LDP/Survey_Diagrams_JPACE-TV.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 February 2014 |publisher=SPC Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC Division of SPC) |pages=35 & 40}}</ref> are the result of drilling conducted by the [[Royal Society of London]] for the purpose of investigating the [[formation of coral reefs]] to determine whether traces of shallow water organisms could be found at depth in the [[coral]] of Pacific atolls. This investigation followed the work on ''[[The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs]]'' conducted by [[Charles Darwin]] in the Pacific. Drilling occurred in 1896, 1897 and 1898.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17092086 |title=TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=11 September 1934 |access-date=20 June 2012 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Professor [[Edgeworth David]] of the [[University of Sydney]] was a member of the 1896 "Funafuti Coral Reef Boring Expedition of the Royal Society", under [[William Johnson Sollas|Professor William Sollas]] and led the expedition in 1897.<ref>David, Mrs Edgeworth, ''Funafuti or Three Months on a Coral Atoll: an unscientific account of a scientific expedition'', London: John Murray, 1899</ref> Photographers on these trips recorded people, communities, and scenes at Funafuti.<ref name="USydL">{{cite web |title=Photography Collection |url=https://sydney.edu.au/museums/collections/historic-photographs.shtml |publisher=University of Sydney Library |access-date=20 September 2011 |archive-date=15 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190615011130/http://sydney.edu.au/museums/collections/historic-photographs.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Charles Hedley]], a naturalist at the [[Australian Museum]], accompanied the 1896 expedition, and during his stay on Funafuti he collected [[invertebrate]] and [[ethnological]] objects. The descriptions of these were published in ''Memoir III of the Australian Museum Sydney'' between 1896 and 1900. Hedley also wrote the ''General Account of the Atoll of Funafuti'', ''The Ethnology of Funafuti'',<ref name="CH2">{{cite journal |last1=Hedley |first1=Charles |title=The ethnology of Funafuti |url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16696/497_complete.pdf |year=1897 |journal=Australian Museum Memoir |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=227–304 |doi=10.3853/j.0067-1967.3.1897.497 |access-date=28 September 2013 |archive-date=28 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128033925/http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16696/497_complete.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and ''The Mollusca of Funafuti''.<ref>{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Denis |last=Fairfax |title=Charles Hedley (1862–1926)|id2=hedley-charles-6628 |year=1983 |volume=9 |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="Serle">{{Dictionary of Australian Biography |First=Charles |Last=Hedley |shortlink=0-dict-biogHa-He.html#hedley1 |access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> [[Edgar Ravenswood Waite|Edgar Waite]] was also part of the 1896 expedition and published ''The mammals, reptiles, and fishes of Funafuti''.<ref name="ERW">{{cite journal |last1=Waite |first1=Edgar R. |title=The mammals, reptiles, and fishes of Funafuti |url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16695/494_complete.pdf |year=1897 |journal=Australian Museum Memoir |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=165–202 |doi=10.3853/j.0067-1967.3.1897.494 |access-date=28 September 2013 |archive-date=9 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909015549/http://australianmuseum.net.au/uploads/journals/16695/494_complete.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[William Joseph Rainbow|William Rainbow]] described the spiders and insects collected at Funafuti in ''The insect fauna of Funafuti''.<ref name="WJR">{{cite journal |last1=Rainbow |first1=William J. |title=The insect fauna of Funafuti |url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16690/490_complete.pdf |year=1897 |journal=Australian Museum Memoir |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=89–104 |doi=10.3853/j.0067-1967.3.1897.490 |access-date=28 September 2013 |archive-date=9 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909015505/http://australianmuseum.net.au/uploads/journals/16690/490_complete.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Harry Clifford Fassett]], captain's clerk and photographer, recorded people, communities and scenes at Funafuti in 1900 during a visit of [[USS Albatross (1882)|USFC ''Albatross'']] when the [[United States Fish Commission]] was investigating the formation of coral reefs on Pacific atolls.<ref name="NARA">{{cite web |title=National Archives & Records Administration |url=https://www.archives.gov/ |publisher=Records of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. |access-date=20 September 2011 |archive-date=25 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070725204231/http://www.archives.gov/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Colonial administration===
{{main|British Western Pacific Territories|Gilbert and Ellice Islands|Governor of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands}}
[[File:1939 & 1956 stamps of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.jpg|thumb|Stamps of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands with portraits of King [[George VI]] and Queen [[Elizabeth II]]]]
The Ellice Islands were administered as a [[British protectorates|British Protectorate]] from 1892 to 1916, as part of the [[British Western Pacific Territories]] (BWPT), by a [[Resident Commissioner]] based in the Gilbert Islands. The administration of the BWPT ended in 1916, and the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands]] Colony was established, which existed until October 1975.

===Second World War===
During the [[Pacific War|Second World War]], as a [[Crown colony|British colony]] the Ellice Islands were aligned with the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] of the war. Early in the war, the [[Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands|Japanese invaded and occupied]] [[Butaritari|Makin]], [[Tarawa]] and other islands in what is now [[Kiribati]]. The [[United States Marine Corps]] landed on Funafuti on 2 October 1942,<ref name="pacificwrecks1">{{cite web |title=Tuvalu (Ellice Islands) |url=http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/tuvalu.html |access-date=1 June 2012 |archive-date=6 March 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020306212834/http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/tuvalu.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and on Nanumea and Nukufetau in August 1943. Funafuti was used as a base to prepare for the subsequent seaborne attacks on the Gilbert Islands ([[Kiribati]]) that were occupied by Japanese forces.<ref name="PMcQ">{{cite book |last1=McQuarrie |first1=Peter |title=Strategic atolls: Tuvalu and the Second World War |year=1994 |publisher=Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury/ Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific |isbn=0958330050}}</ref>

The islanders assisted the American forces to build airfields on Funafuti, Nanumea and Nukufetau and to unload supplies from ships.<ref name="LNKFK2">{{cite book |last1=Lifuka |first1=Neli |editor-last1=Koch |editor-first1=Klaus-Friedrich |title=Logs in the current of the sea: Neli Lifuka's story of Kioa and the Vaitupu colonists |year=1978 |publisher=Australian National University Press/Press of the Langdon Associates |isbn=0708103626 |chapter=War Years in Funafuti |chapter-url=http://307bg.net/memoirs/WWII_in_Tuvalu.pdf |access-date=27 April 2015 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807033725/https://www.307bg.net/memoirs/WWII_in_Tuvalu.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> On Funafuti, the islanders shifted to the smaller islets so as to allow the American forces to build the airfield and [[Naval Base Funafuti]] on [[Fongafale]].<ref name="TAHMT">{{cite book |first1=Melei |last1=Telavi |editor-first1=Hugh |editor-last1=Laracy |title=Tuvalu: A History |year=1983 |publisher=University of the South Pacific/Government of Tuvalu |pages=140–144 |chapter=Chapter 18, War}}</ref> A Naval Construction Battalion ([[Seabees]]) built a seaplane ramp on the lagoon side of Fongafale islet, for seaplane operations by both short- and long-range seaplanes, and a compacted coral runway was also constructed on Fongafale,<ref name="pacificwrecks2">{{cite web |last1=Com |first1=Pacificwrecks |title=Tuvalu (Ellice Islands) Airfields & Seaplane Anchorages |url=http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/tuvalu/index.html |access-date=1 June 2012 |archive-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730060314/https://pacificwrecks.com/airfields/tuvalu/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> with runways also constructed to create [[Nanumea Airfield]]<ref name="pacificwrecks3">{{cite web |last1=Com |first1=Pacificwrecks |title=Nanumea Airfield |url=http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/tuvalu/nanumea/index.html |access-date=1 June 2012 |archive-date=16 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316060851/http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/tuvalu/nanumea/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Nukufetau Airfield]].<ref name="pacificwrecks4">{{cite web |title=Motulalo Airfield (Nukufetau Airfield) |url=http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/tuvalu/motulalo/index.html |access-date=1 June 2012 |archive-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730060003/https://pacificwrecks.com/airfields/tuvalu/motulalo/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> USN [[PT Boat|Patrol Torpedo Boats]] (PTs) and [[seaplane]]s were based at [[Naval Base Funafuti]] from 2 November 1942 to 11 May 1944.<ref name="HLB">{{cite book |last1=Barbin |first1=Harold L. |title=Beachheads Secured Volume II, The History of Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boats, Their Bases, and Tenders of World War II, June 1939 – 31 August 1945 |year=2010 |pages=549–550}}</ref>

The atolls of Tuvalu acted as staging posts during the preparation for the [[Battle of Tarawa]] and the [[Battle of Makin]] that commenced on 20 November 1943, which were part of the implementation of "Operation Galvanic".<ref>{{cite web |title=Battle of Tarawa |url=http://www.worldwar2facts.org/battle-of-tarawa.html |work=World War 2 Facts |access-date=3 February 2014 |archive-date=10 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610035946/http://www.worldwar2facts.org/battle-of-tarawa.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="galvanic">{{cite web |title=To the Central Pacific and Tarawa, August 1943—Background to GALVANIC (Ch 16, p. 622) |year=1969 |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ACTC/actc-16.html |access-date=3 September 2010 |archive-date=9 June 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010609031616/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ACTC/actc-16.html |url-status=live}}</ref> After the war, the military airfield on Funafuti was developed into [[Funafuti International Airport]].

===Post-World War II – transition to independence===
The formation of the United Nations after World War II resulted in the [[United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization]] committing to a process of decolonisation; as a consequence, the British colonies in the Pacific started on a path to [[self-determination]].<ref name="TAHES">{{cite book |first1=Enele |last1=Sapoaga |editor-first1=Hugh |editor-last1=Laracy |title=Tuvalu: A History |year=1983 |publisher=University of the South Pacific/Government of Tuvalu |pages=146–152 |chapter=Chapter 19, Post-War Development}}</ref><ref name="MG2">{{cite journal |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Michael |title=The Colonial and Postcolonial Roots of Ethnonationalism in Tuvalu |jstor=41705922 |year=2012 |journal=The Journal of the Polynesian Society |volume=121 |issue=2 |pages=129–150 |doi=10.15286/jps.121.2.129-150 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In 1974, the ministerial government was introduced to the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands]] Colony through a change to the Constitution. In that year a general election was held,<ref name="E1974">{{cite book |title=General election, 1974: report / Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony |year=1974 |publisher=Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. Tarawa: Central Government Office}}</ref> and a [[1974 Ellice Islands self-determination referendum|referendum was held in 1974]] to determine whether the Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands should each have their own administration.<ref name=N>Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II'', p831 {{ISBN|0-19-924959-8}}</ref> As a consequence of the referendum, separation occurred in two stages. The Tuvaluan Order 1975, which took effect on 1 October 1975, recognised Tuvalu as a separate [[Crown Colony]] with its own government.<ref name="PIM175-5">{{cite web |last= |first= |work=46(5) Pacific Islands Monthly |title=Ellice goes it alone on October 1 |date=1 May 1975 |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-334718231/view?sectionId=nla.obj-338653913&partId=nla.obj-334743035#page/n88/mode/1up |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002100604/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-334718231/view?sectionId=nla.obj-338653913&partId=nla.obj-334743035#page/n88/mode/1up |url-status=live}}</ref> The second stage occurred on 1 January 1976, when separate administrations were created out of the civil service of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony.<ref name="TAHTito">{{cite book |first1=Tito |last1=Isala |editor-first1=Hugh |editor-last1=Laracy |title=Tuvalu: A History |year=1983 |publisher=University of the South Pacific/Government of Tuvalu |chapter=Chapter 20, Secession and Independence}}</ref>{{rp|169}}<ref name="TPBN">{{cite journal |first=W. David |last=McIntyre |title=The Partition of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands |url=http://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-7-1-2012-McIntyre.pdf |year=2012 |volume=7 |issue=1 |journal=Island Studies Journal |pages=135–146 |doi=10.24043/isj.266 |s2cid=130336446 |access-date=16 December 2012 |archive-date=2 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202095641/https://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-7-1-2012-McIntyre.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1976, Tuvalu adopted the [[Tuvaluan dollar]], whose currency circulates alongside the [[Australian dollar]],<ref name="DP">{{cite journal |author=Bowman, Chakriya |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/156690629.pdf |title=Pacific island countries and dollarisation |journal=Pacific Economic Bulletin |volume=19 |year=2004 |issue=3 |pages=115–132 |access-date=21 March 2024 |archive-date=31 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331023006/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/156690629.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ECR>{{cite web |first= |last= |title=Exchange Control Regulations – 2008 Revised Edition CAP. 38.15.1 |work=Government of Tuvalu |date=2008 |url=http://tuvalu.tradeportal.org/media//ExchangeControlRegulations_1.pdf |access-date=2 March 2024 |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301234136/http://tuvalu.tradeportal.org/media//ExchangeControlRegulations_1.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> which was previously adopted in 1966.

Elections to the House of Assembly of the British Colony of Tuvalu were held on 27 August 1977, with [[Toaripi Lauti]] being appointed chief minister in the House of Assembly of the Colony of Tuvalu on 1 October 1977. The House of Assembly was dissolved in July 1978, with the government of Toaripi Lauti continuing as a [[caretaker government]] until the 1981 elections were held.<ref name="IPU81">{{cite web |work=Inter-Parliamentary Union |title=Palamene o Tuvalu (Parliament of Tuvalu) |year=1981 |url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/TUVALU_1981_E.PDF |access-date=7 March 2013 |archive-date=25 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825142051/http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/TUVALU_1981_E.PDF |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Post-Independence===
[[Toaripi Lauti]] became the first [[Prime Minister of Tuvalu|prime minister]] on 1 October 1978, when Tuvalu became an independent state.<ref name="TAHES"/><ref name="TAHTito"/>{{rp|153–177}} That date is also celebrated as the country's [[List of national independence days|Independence Day]] and is a public holiday.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2023 |title=Tuvalu Independence Day |url=https://nationaltoday.com/tuvalu-independence-day/#:~:text=Tuvalu%20Independence%20Day%20is%20remembered,Polynesian%20region%20of%20the%20oceans |access-date=6 August 2023 |website=Nationaltoday.com |archive-date=5 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805230222/https://nationaltoday.com/tuvalu-independence-day/#:~:text=Tuvalu%20Independence%20Day%20is%20remembered,Polynesian%20region%20of%20the%20oceans |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 26 October 1982, [[Queen Elizabeth II]] made a special royal tour to Tuvalu.

On 5 September 2000, Tuvalu became the [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1290|189th member of the United Nations]].<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC News {{!}} ASIA-PACIFIC {{!}} Tiny Tuvalu joins UN |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/913240.stm |work=news.bbc.co.uk |access-date=8 February 2022 |archive-date=8 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208122129/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/913240.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 15 November 2022, amidst sea level rises, Tuvalu announced plans as the first country in the world to build a self-digital replica in the [[metaverse]] in order to preserve its cultural heritage.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/tuvalua-metaverse-climat-change/101658730 |title=Tuvalu to create a digital replica of country as it faces impacts of climate change |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=16 November 2022 |first=Prianka |last=Srinivasan |access-date=27 December 2022 |archive-date=27 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227055709/https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/tuvalua-metaverse-climat-change/101658730 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 10 November 2023, Tuvalu signed the [[Australia–Tuvalu relations#Australia–Tuvalu Falepili Union|Falepili Union]] treaty with Australia.<ref name="FalepiliTreaty1">{{cite web |url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/tuvalu/australia-tuvalu-falepili-union-treaty |title=Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union treaty |publisher=Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |access-date=12 November 2023 |archive-date=12 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112015202/https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/tuvalu/australia-tuvalu-falepili-union-treaty |url-status=live}}</ref> In the Tuvaluan language, ''Falepili'' describes the traditional values of good neighbourliness, care and mutual respect.<ref name="AUTFU1">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Joint Statement on the Falepili Union between Tuvalu and Australia |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |page= |date=10 November 2023 |url=https://www.pm.gov.au/media/joint-statement-falepili-union-between-tuvalu-and-australia |access-date=13 November 2023 |archive-date=13 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113013709/https://www.pm.gov.au/media/joint-statement-falepili-union-between-tuvalu-and-australia |url-status=live}}</ref> The Treaty addresses climate change and security,<ref name="AUTFU1"/> with security threats encompassing major natural disasters, health pandemics and traditional security threats.<ref name="AUTFU1"/> The implementation of the Treaty will involve Australia increasing its contribution to the [[Tuvalu Trust Fund]] and the [[Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project]].<ref name="AUTFU1"/> Australia will also provide a pathway for 280 citizens of Tuvalu to migrate to Australia each year, to enable [[Climate migration|climate-related mobility]] for Tuvaluans.<ref name="AUTFU1"/><ref name=AustraliaTuvaluResidency>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/10/australia-to-offer-residency-to-tuvalu-residents-displaced-by-climate-change |title=Australia to offer residency to Tuvalu citizens displaced by climate change |publisher=The Guardian Australia |author=Daniel Hurst and Josh Butler |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=10 November 2023 |access-date=12 November 2023 |archive-date=14 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114152349/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/10/australia-to-offer-residency-to-tuvalu-residents-displaced-by-climate-change |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography and environment==
{{main|Geography of Tuvalu}}
{{see also|Agriculture in Tuvalu|Coral reefs of Tuvalu|Protected areas of Tuvalu}}

===Geography===
[[File:Tuvalu-CIA WFB Map.png|thumb|Map of Tuvalu, showing major towns and islands]]
[[File:Tuvalu Funafuti atoll beach.jpg|thumb|right|A beach at Funafuti atoll]]
Tuvalu is a volcanic [[archipelago]], and consists of three [[reef]] islands ([[Nanumanga]], [[Niutao]] and [[Niulakita]]) and six true [[atolls]] ([[Funafuti]], [[Nanumea]], [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]], [[Nukufetau]], [[Nukulaelae]] and [[Vaitupu]]).<ref name="PSK1">{{cite journal |last=Paul S. Kench, Murray R. Ford & Susan D. Owen |title=Patterns of island change and persistence offer alternate adaptation pathways for atoll nations |journal=Nature Communications |date=9 February 2018 |volume=9 |issue=1 |article-number=605 |doi=10.1038/s41467-018-02954-1 |pmid=29426825 |pmc=5807422 |bibcode=2018NatCo...9..605K}}</ref> Its small, scattered group of low-lying atolls have poor soil and a total land area of only about {{convert|26|km2|0|abbr=off}} making it the [[List of sovereign states by area|fourth smallest country in the world]]. The highest elevation is {{convert|4.6|m|ft}} above sea level on [[Niulakita]]; however, the low-lying atolls and reef islands of Tuvalu are susceptible to seawater flooding during cyclones and storms.<ref name="JCon">{{cite journal |last=Connell |first=John |url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/38764/1/v27n1-1-36.pdf |title=Vulnerable Islands: Climate Change, Techonic Change, and Changing Livelihoods in the Western Pacific |journal=The Contemporary Pacific |volume=27 |issue=1 |year=2015 |pages=1–36 |doi=10.1353/cp.2015.0014 |hdl=10125/38764 |s2cid=162562633 |access-date=3 October 2017 |archive-date=19 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719173613/https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/38764/1/v27n1-1-36.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The sea level at the Funafuti tide gauge has risen at 3.9&nbsp;mm per year, which is approximately twice the global average.<ref name="PSK2">{{cite journal |last=Paul S. Kench, Murray R. Ford & Susan D. Owen |title=Patterns of island change and persistence offer alternate adaptation pathways for atoll nations (Supplementary Note 2) |journal=Nature Communications |date=9 February 2018 |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=605 |doi=10.1038/s41467-018-02954-1 |pmid=29426825 |pmc=5807422 |bibcode=2018NatCo...9..605K}}</ref> However, over four decades, there had been a net increase in land area of the islets of {{convert|0.74|km2|1|abbr=off}} (2.9%), although the changes are not uniform, with 74% increasing and 27% decreasing in size. A 2018 report stated that the rising sea levels are identified as creating an increased transfer of wave energy across reef surfaces, which shifts sand, resulting in accretion to island shorelines.<ref name="PSK1"/> The Tuvalu Prime Minister objected to the report's implication that there were "alternate" strategies for Islanders to adapt to rising sea levels, and criticised it for neglecting issues such as [[saltwater intrusion]] into groundwater tables as a result of sea level rise.<ref name="ML">{{cite web |last=Movono |first=Lice |title=Tuvalu PM refutes AUT research |work=The Fijian Times |date=12 February 2018 |url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=434351 |access-date=13 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213080511/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=434351 |archive-date=13 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Funafuti is the largest atoll, and comprises numerous islets around a central lagoon that is approximately {{convert|25.1|km|mi|abbr=off}} (N–S) by {{convert|18.4|km|mi|abbr=off}} (W-E), centred on 179°7'E and 8°30'S. On the atolls, an annular reef rim surrounds the lagoon with seven natural reef channels.<ref>{{cite journal |author=McNeil, F. S. |year=1954 |title=Organic reefs and banks and associated detrital sediments |journal=American Journal of Science |volume=252 |issue=7 |pages=385–401 |quote=on p. 396 McNeil defines atoll as an annular reef enclosing a lagoon in which there are no promontories other than reefs and composed of reef detritus |doi=10.2475/ajs.252.7.385 |bibcode=1954AmJS..252..385M |doi-access=free}}</ref> Surveys were carried out in May 2010 of the [[Coral reefs of Tuvalu|reef habitats]] of Nanumea, Nukulaelae and Funafuti; a total of 317 fish species were recorded during this ''Tuvalu Marine Life'' study. The surveys identified 66 species that had not previously been recorded in Tuvalu, which brings the total number of identified species to 607.<ref name=TMLSY>{{cite web |author1=Sandrine Job |author2=Daniela Ceccarelli |title=Tuvalu Marine Life Synthesis Report |date=December 2011 |work=an Alofa Tuvalu project with the Tuvalu Fisheries Department |url=http://www.alofatuvalu.tv/US/05_a_tuvalu/05_page_tml/livret2light.pdf |access-date=3 December 2013 |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031011545/http://www.alofatuvalu.tv/US/05_a_tuvalu/05_page_tml/livret2light.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=TMLScR>{{cite web |author1=Sandrine Job |author2=Daniela Ceccarelli |title=Tuvalu Marine Life Scientific Report |date=December 2012 |work=an Alofa Tuvalu project with the Tuvalu Fisheries Department |url=http://www.alofatuvalu.tv/US/05_a_tuvalu/05_page_tml/livret4light.pdf |access-date=3 December 2013 |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031011556/http://www.alofatuvalu.tv/US/05_a_tuvalu/05_page_tml/livret4light.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvalu's [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ) covers an oceanic area of approximately 900,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="AJT">{{cite book |last1=Dr A J Tilling & Ms E Fihaki |title=Tuvalu National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan |url=http://www.cbd.int/doc/world/tv/tv-nr-04-en.pdf |date=17 November 2009 |publisher=Fourth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity |page=7 |access-date=29 September 2013 |archive-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730061104/https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/tv/tv-nr-04-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tuvalu signed the [[Convention on Biological Diversity]] (CBD) in 1992, and ratified it in December 2002.<ref name="CBD">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Tuvalu Sixth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity |publisher=Government of Tuvalu |page= |year=2020 |url=https://www.cbd.int/doc/nr/nr-06/tv-nr-06-en.pdf |access-date=11 November 2023 |archive-date=17 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117145949/https://www.cbd.int/doc/nr/nr-06/tv-nr-06-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RT16">{{cite web |first1=Randy |last1=Thaman |first2=Faoliu |last2=Teakau |first3=Moe |last3=Saitala |first4=Epu |last4=Falega |first5=Feagaiga |last5=Penivao |first6=Mataio |last6=Tekenene |first7=Semese |last7=Alefaio |work=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism, Environment and Labour Government of Tuvalu |title=Tuvalu National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan: Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity |year=2016 |url=https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/tv/tv-nr-05-en.pdf |access-date=25 May 2019 |archive-date=6 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206154235/https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/tv/tv-nr-05-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The predominant vegetation type on the islands of Tuvalu is the cultivated coconut woodland, which covers 43% of the land. The native broadleaf forest is limited to 4.1% of the vegetation types,<ref name="RBA">{{cite web |first1=Randy |last1=Thaman |first2=Feagaiga |last2=Penivao |first3=Faoliu |last3=Teakau |first4=Semese |last4=Alefaio |first5=Lamese |last5=Saamu |first6=Moe |last6=Saitala |first7=Mataio |last7=Tekinene |first8=Mile |last8=Fonua |work=Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of the Conservation Status of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) In Tuvalu |title=Report on the 2016 Funafuti Community-Based Ridge-To-Reef (R2R) |year=2017 |url=https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/Tuvalu/r2r-biorap.pdf |access-date=25 May 2019 |archive-date=25 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525050122/https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/Tuvalu/r2r-biorap.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> with 40% of the native broadleaf forest of Funafuti contained in the [[Funafuti Conservation Area]]. Tuvalu contains the [[Western Polynesian tropical moist forests]] terrestrial ecoregion.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad |display-authors=1 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |year=2017 |pages=534–545 |issn=0006-3568 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Environmental pressures===
[[File:Tuvalu - Funafuti - Beach.jpg|thumb|A jetty and beach at Funafuti atoll|alt=A jetty and beach at Funafuti atoll]]
The eastern shoreline of Funafuti Lagoon on [[Fongafale]] was modified during World War II when the airfield (now [[Funafuti International Airport]]) was constructed. The coral base of the atoll was used as fill to create the runway. The resulting [[borrow pit]]s impacted the fresh-water [[aquifer]]. In the low-lying areas of Funafuti, the sea water can be seen bubbling up through the porous coral rock to form pools with each high tide.<ref name=MKM>{{cite web |first=Moya K. |last=Mason |url=http://www.moyak.com/papers/tuvalu-climate-change.html |title=Tuvalu: Flooding, Global Warming, and Media Coverage |access-date=13 October 2011 |archive-date=14 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014104002/http://www.moyak.com/papers/tuvalu-climate-change.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AHK1">{{cite web |last=Holowaty Krales |first=Amelia |title=Chasing the Tides, parts I & II |date=20 February 2011 |url=http://ameliaholowatykrales.blogspot.com.au/2011_02_01_archive.html |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=9 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509173923/http://ameliaholowatykrales.blogspot.com.au/2011_02_01_archive.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, the Tuvalu Borrow Pits Remediation (BPR) project was approved so that 10 borrow pits would be filled with sand from the lagoon, leaving Tafua Pond, which is a natural pond. The New Zealand Government funded the BPR project.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tuvalu to Benefit from International Dredging Aid |date=1 April 2014 |url=http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=19459 |publisher=Dredging News |access-date=1 April 2014 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402170548/http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=19459 |url-status=live}}</ref> The project was carried out in 2015, with 365,000 sqm of sand being dredged from the lagoon to fill the holes and improve living conditions on the island. This project increased the usable land space on Fongafale by eight per cent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Coast contractor completes aid project in remote Tuvalu |date=27 November 2015 |url=http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/coast-contractor-completes-aid-project-remote-tuva/2855272/ |publisher=SunshineCoastDaily |access-date=28 November 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208184226/http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/coast-contractor-completes-aid-project-remote-tuva/2855272/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

During World War II, several piers were also constructed on [[Fongafale]] in the Funafuti Lagoon; beach areas were filled and deep-water access channels were excavated. These alterations to the reef and shoreline resulted in changes to wave patterns, with less sand accumulating to form the beaches, compared to former times. Attempts to stabilise the shoreline did not achieve the desired effect.<ref>{{cite web |first=Ralf |last=Carter |title=Wind and Sea Analysis – Funafuti Lagoon, Tuvalu |date=4 July 1986 |url=http://dev.sopac.org.fj/VirLib/TR0058.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118202311/http://dev.sopac.org.fj/VirLib/TR0058.pdf |archive-date=18 January 2012 |publisher=South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme and UNDP Project RAS/81/102 (Technical. Report No. 58 of PE/TU.3) |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref> In December 2022, work on the Funafuti reclamation project commenced, which is part of the [[Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project]]. Sand was dredged from the lagoon to construct a platform on [[Fongafale]] islet that is {{convert|780|m|ft}} meters long and {{convert|100|m|ft}} meters wide, giving a total area of approximately 7.8 ha. (19.27 acres), which is designed to remain above sea level rise and the reach of storm waves beyond the year 2100.<ref name="LB">{{cite web |last=Bouadze |first=Levan |title=Groundbreaking ceremony in Funafuti for Tuvalu's coastal adaptation |publisher=UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji |page= |date=6 December 2022 |url=https://www.undp.org/pacific/speeches/groundbreaking-ceremony-funafuti-tuvalus-coastal-adaptation |access-date=1 November 2023}}</ref> The platform starts from the northern boundary of the Queen Elizabeth Park (QEP) reclamation area and extends to the northern Tausoa Beach [[Groyne]] and the Catalina Ramp Harbour.<ref name="TCAP-F1">{{cite report |first= |last=FCG ANZDEC Ltd |title=Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment – Funafuti |date=7 October 2020 |publisher=The Pacific Community |pages= |chapter= |url=https://www.adaptation-undp.org/Tuvalu-Coastal-Adaptation-Project-TCAP-ESIA-Funafuti |access-date=3 November 2023}}</ref>

The [[Coral reefs of Tuvalu|reefs at Funafuti]] suffered damage during the [[El Niño]] events that occurred between 1998 and 2001, with an average of 70% of the Staghorn (''[[Acropora]] spp.'') corals becoming bleached as a consequence of the increase in ocean temperatures.<ref name="SOCR2004">{{cite report |last=Jeremy Goldberg and Clive Wilkinson |title=Global Threats to Coral Reefs: Coral Bleaching, Global Climate Change, Disease, Predator Plagues, And Invasive Species |year=2004 |publisher=Status of coral reefs of the world (Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, and the International Coral Reef Initiative) |volume=1 |pages=75 |chapter=1 |issn=1447-6185}}</ref><ref name=RevLT>{{cite web |last=Lusama |first=Tafue |title=Tuvalu plight must be heard by UNFCC |publisher=The Drum – Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=29 November 2011 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3701422.html |access-date=29 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403164107/http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3701422.html |archive-date=3 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="JW">{{cite web |last=Whitty |first=Julia |title=All the Disappearing Islands |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2003/07/all-disappearing-islands |year=2003 |work=Mother Jones |access-date=15 February 2015 |archive-date=10 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210054243/http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2003/07/all-disappearing-islands |url-status=live}}</ref> A reef restoration project has investigated reef restoration techniques;<ref name=CRRP>{{cite web |author=Govan, Hugh |title=Funafuti Atoll Coral Reef Restoration Project – baseline report |date=June 2007 |work=Coral Reefs in the Pacific (CRISP), Nouméa |url=http://www.sprep.org/pyor/reefdocs/CRISP/C2B1_0706_Tuvalu.pdf |access-date=26 October 2011 |display-authors=etal |archive-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118075356/http://www.sprep.org/pyor/reefdocs/CRISP/C2B1_0706_Tuvalu.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and researchers from Japan have investigated rebuilding the [[coral reefs]] through the introduction of [[foraminifera]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hope for Tuvalu in 'sand' that grows, the Asahi Shimbun |url=http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201009060253.html |access-date=8 September 2010 |archive-date=10 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910015802/http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201009060253.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency is designed to increase the resilience of the Tuvalu coast against sea level rise, through ecosystem rehabilitation and regeneration and through support for sand production.<ref name="JICA">{{cite web |title=Project for Eco-technological management of Tuvalu against sea level rise |work=Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) |date=31 March 2009 |url=http://www.jica.go.jp/project/english/tuvalu/0802778/outline/index.html |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=8 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508015328/http://www.jica.go.jp/project/english/tuvalu/0802778/outline/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The rising population has resulted in an increased demand on fish stocks, which are under stress,<ref name=RevLT/> although the creation of the [[Funafuti Conservation Area]] has provided a fishing exclusion area to help sustain the fish population across the Funafuti lagoon.<ref name="FRFSP">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Funafuti Reef Fisheries Stewardship Plan (FRFSP) |publisher=Tuvalu Fisheries (Tuvalu Ministry of Natural Resources) |page= |date=15 November 2017 |url=http://www.tuvalufisheries.tv/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FRFSP-231117-web.pdf |access-date=11 August 2021 |archive-date=31 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031004907/http://www.tuvalufisheries.tv/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FRFSP-231117-web.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> Population pressure on the resources of Funafuti, and inadequate sanitation systems, have resulted in pollution.<ref name="Krales"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/mar/04/tuvalu-sustainable-way-of-life-disappears |location=London |work=[[The Guardian]] |first1=Florent |last1=Baarsch |title=Warming oceans and human waste hit Tuvalu's sustainable way of life |date=4 March 2011}}</ref> The Waste Operations and Services Act of 2009 provides the legal framework for waste management and pollution control projects funded by the European Union directed at organic waste composting in eco-sanitation systems.<ref name=TWWSP>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/documents/aap/2009/af_aap_2009_tuv.pdf |title=Tuvalu / Water, Waste and Sanitation Project (TWWSP): CRIS FED/2009/021-195, ANNEX |work=European Union |access-date=24 October 2011 |archive-date=26 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126064920/http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/documents/aap/2009/af_aap_2009_tuv.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The Environment Protection (Litter and Waste Control) Regulation 2013 is intended to improve the management of the importation of non-biodegradable materials. [[Plastic waste]] is a problem in Tuvalu, for much imported food and other commodities are supplied in plastic containers or packaging.

In 2023 the governments of Tuvalu and other islands vulnerable to climate change ([[Fiji]], [[Niue]], the [[Solomon Islands]], [[Tonga]] and [[Vanuatu]]) launched the "Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific", calling for the phase out [[fossil fuel]]s and the 'rapid and [[just transition]]' to [[renewable energy]] and strengthening [[environmental law]] including introducing the crime of [[ecocide]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Six Island Nations Commit to 'Fossil Fuel-Free Pacific,' Demand Global Just Transition |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/fossil-fuel-free-pacific |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=www.commondreams.org |language=en |archive-date=16 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616003648/https://www.commondreams.org/news/fossil-fuel-free-pacific |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-22 |title=Port Vila call to phase out fossil fuels |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/486463/port-vila-call-to-phase-out-fossil-fuels |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701175204/https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/486463/port-vila-call-to-phase-out-fossil-fuels |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ligaiula |first=Pita |date=2023-03-17 |title=Port Vila call for a just transition to a fossil fuel free Pacific {{!}} PINA |url=https://pina.com.fj/2023/03/17/port-vila-call-for-a-just-transition-to-a-fossil-fuel-free-pacific/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |language=en-US |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701175216/https://pina.com.fj/2023/03/17/port-vila-call-for-a-just-transition-to-a-fossil-fuel-free-pacific/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Climate===
{{see also|2011 Tuvalu drought}}
[[File:Tuvalu Meteorology Service.jpg|thumb|[[Tuvalu Meteorological Service]], [[Fongafale]], Funafuti atoll]]
Tuvalu experiences two distinct seasons, a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October.<ref name="CFCT">{{cite web |title=Current and Future Climate of Tuvalu |work=[[Tuvalu Meteorological Service]], [[Australian Bureau of Meteorology]] & [[Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation]] (CSIRO) |year=2011 |url=http://www.pacificclimatechangescience.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/4_PCCSP_Tuvalu_8pp.pdf |access-date=7 September 2015 |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119130203/https://www.pacificclimatechangescience.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/4_PCCSP_Tuvalu_8pp.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Westerly gales and heavy rain are the predominant weather conditions from November to April, the period that is known as ''Tau-o-lalo'', with tropical temperatures moderated by easterly winds from May to October.

Tuvalu experiences the effects of [[El Niño]] and [[La Niña]], which is caused by changes in ocean temperatures in the equatorial and central Pacific. El Niño effects increase the chances of tropical storms and [[cyclones]], while La Niña effects increase the chances of drought. Typically the islands of Tuvalu receive between {{convert|200|and|400|mm|0|abbr=on}} of rainfall per month. The central Pacific Ocean experiences changes from periods of La Niña to periods of El Niño.<ref name="NOAA1">{{cite web |title=El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion |work=Climate Prediction Center National Centers for Environmental Prediction – NOAA/National Weather Service |date=10 April 2014 |url=http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.html |access-date=15 April 2014 |archive-date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614040420/http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

<div style="width:75%">

{{Weather box
|location = [[Funafuti]] (Köppen Af)
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Yes 
|metric first = Yes
|width = auto 
|Jan record high C = 33.8
|Feb record high C = 34.4
|Mar record high C = 34.4
|Apr record high C = 33.2
|May record high C = 33.9
|Jun record high C = 33.9
|Jul record high C = 32.8
|Aug record high C = 32.9
|Sep record high C = 32.8
|Oct record high C = 34.4
|Nov record high C = 33.9
|Dec record high C = 33.9
|year record high C = 34.4
|Jan high C = 30.7
|Feb high C = 30.8
|Mar high C = 30.6
|Apr high C = 31.0
|May high C = 30.9
|Jun high C = 30.6
|Jul high C = 30.4
|Aug high C = 30.4
|Sep high C = 30.7
|Oct high C = 31.0
|Nov high C = 31.2
|Dec high C = 31.0
|year high C = 30.8
|Jan mean C = 28.2
|Feb mean C = 28.1
|Mar mean C = 28.1
|Apr mean C = 28.2
|May mean C = 28.4
|Jun mean C = 28.3
|Jul mean C = 28.1
|Aug mean C = 28.1
|Sep mean C = 28.2
|Oct mean C = 28.2
|Nov mean C = 28.4
|Dec mean C = 28.3
|year mean C = 28.2
|Jan low C = 25.5
|Feb low C = 25.3
|Mar low C = 25.4
|Apr low C = 25.7
|May low C = 25.8
|Jun low C = 25.9
|Jul low C = 25.7
|Aug low C = 25.8
|Sep low C = 25.8
|Oct low C = 25.7
|Nov low C = 25.8
|Dec low C = 25.7
|year low C = 25.8
|Jan record low C = 22.0
|Feb record low C = 22.2
|Mar record low C = 22.8
|Apr record low C = 23.0
|May record low C = 20.5
|Jun record low C = 23.0
|Jul record low C = 21.0
|Aug record low C = 16.1
|Sep record low C = 20.0
|Oct record low C = 21.0
|Nov record low C = 22.8
|Dec record low C = 22.8
|year record low C = 16.1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 413.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 360.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 324.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 255.8
|May precipitation mm = 259.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 216.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 253.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 275.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 217.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 266.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 275.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 393.9
|year precipitation mm = 3512.6
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 20
|Feb precipitation days = 19
|Mar precipitation days = 20
|Apr precipitation days = 19
|May precipitation days = 18
|Jun precipitation days = 19
|Jul precipitation days = 19
|Aug precipitation days = 18
|Sep precipitation days = 16
|Oct precipitation days = 18
|Nov precipitation days = 17
|Dec precipitation days = 19
|year precipitation days = 223
|Jan humidity = 82
|Feb humidity = 82
|Mar humidity = 82
|Apr humidity = 82
|May humidity = 82
|Jun humidity = 82
|Jul humidity = 83
|Aug humidity = 82
|Sep humidity = 81
|Oct humidity = 81
|Nov humidity = 80
|Dec humidity = 81
|year humidity = 82
|Jan sun = 179.8
|Feb sun = 161.0
|Mar sun = 186.0
|Apr sun = 201.0
|May sun = 195.3
|Jun sun = 201.0
|Jul sun = 195.3
|Aug sun = 220.1
|Sep sun = 210.0
|Oct sun = 232.5
|Nov sun = 189.0
|Dec sun = 176.7
|year sun = 
|Jand sun = 5.8
|Febd sun = 5.7
|Mard sun = 6.0
|Aprd sun = 6.7
|Mayd sun = 6.3
|Jund sun = 6.7
|Juld sun = 6.3
|Augd sun = 7.1
|Sepd sun = 7.0
|Octd sun = 7.5
|Novd sun = 6.3
|Decd sun = 5.7
|yeard sun = 6.4
|source 1 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]]<ref name = FunafutiDWD>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_916430_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Funafuti / Tuvalu (Ellice-Inseln) |work=Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |language=de |access-date=22 November 2016 |archive-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020001500/https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_916430_kt.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

</div>

===Impact of climate change===
{{main|Climate change in Tuvalu}}
As low-lying islands lacking a surrounding shallow shelf, the communities of Tuvalu are especially susceptible to changes in sea level and undissipated storms.<ref name="SS">{{cite web |last=Farbotko |first=Carol |title=Saving Tuvaluan Culture from Imminent Danger |url=http://www.unescoapceiu.org/data/file/sangsaeng/740725887_489f1ed7_sangsaeng21.pdf |access-date=20 November 2012 |work=Climate Change: Risks and Solutions, 'Sang Saeng', pages 11–13, No 21 Spring 2008. Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) under the auspices of UNESCO |archive-date=20 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620194747/http://www.unescoapceiu.org/data/file/sangsaeng/740725887_489f1ed7_sangsaeng21.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="IV">{{cite web |last=Lazrus |first=Heather |title=Island Vulnerability (Tuvalu) |url=http://www.islandvulnerability.org/tuvalu.html |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=4 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704094233/http://www.islandvulnerability.org/tuvalu.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Tuvalu Report of In-Country Consultations |url=http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/countries/tuvalu/49.pdf |access-date=13 October 2011 |work=Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREC) |archive-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118160535/http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/countries/tuvalu/49.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> At its highest, Tuvalu is only {{convert|4.6|m|ft}} above sea level. Tuvaluan leaders have been concerned about the effects of rising sea levels.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 July 1997 |title=Sea Level Rise A Big Problem For Tuvalu, Prime Minister Says |url=http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/023.html |access-date=24 December 2009 |archive-date=25 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625023538/http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/023.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is estimated that a sea level rise of {{convert|20|–|40|cm|in|abbr=off}} in the next 100 years could make Tuvalu uninhabitable.<ref name="Patel">{{cite journal |author=Patel, S. S. |year=2006 |title=A sinking feeling |journal=Nature |volume=440 |issue=7085 |pages=734–736 |bibcode=2006Natur.440..734P |doi=10.1038/440734a |pmid=16598226 |s2cid=1174790 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="HJA">{{cite web |last=Hunter |first=J. A. |year=2002 |title=Note on Relative Sea Level Change at Funafuti, Tuvalu |url=http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/A-Note-on-Relative-Sea-Level-Change.pdf |access-date=2 March 2017 |work=Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre, Australia |archive-date=2 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302112642/http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/A-Note-on-Relative-Sea-Level-Change.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> A study published in 2018 estimated the change in land area of Tuvalu's nine atolls and 101 reef islands between 1971 and 2014, indicating that 75% of the islands had grown in area, with an overall increase of more than 2%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 February 2018 |title='Sinking' Pacific nation is getting bigger, showing islands are geologically dynamic: study {{!}} The Japan Times|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/11/asia-pacific/science-health-asia-pacific/sinking-pacific-nation-getting-bigger-showing-islands-geologically-dynamic-study/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211084934/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/11/asia-pacific/science-health-asia-pacific/sinking-pacific-nation-getting-bigger-showing-islands-geologically-dynamic-study/|archive-date=11 February 2018|access-date=5 December 2019}}</ref> [[Enele Sopoaga]], the prime minister of Tuvalu at the time, responded to the research by stating that Tuvalu is not expanding and has gained no additional habitable land.<ref name="PSK">{{cite journal |last1=Kench |first1=Paul S |last2=Ford |first2=Murray R |last3=Owen |first3=Susan D |year=2018 |title=Patterns of island change and persistence offer alternate adaptation pathways for atoll nations |journal=Nature Communications |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=605 |bibcode=2018NatCo...9..605K |doi=10.1038/s41467-018-02954-1 |pmc=5807422 |pmid=29426825}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 March 2018 |title=Tuvalu PM Refutes Aut Research |language=en-US |url=https://kmt.news/2018/03/19/tuvalu-pm-refutes-aut-research/ |access-date=26 March 2019 |archive-date=26 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326140508/https://kmt.news/2018/03/19/tuvalu-pm-refutes-aut-research/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Sopoaga has also said that evacuating the islands is the last resort.<ref name="G19">{{cite news |last=Eleanor Ainge Roy |date=17 May 2019 |title='One day we'll disappear': Tuvalu's sinking islands |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/may/16/one-day-disappear-tuvalu-sinking-islands-rising-seas-climate-change |access-date=17 May 2019}}</ref>

Whether there are measurable changes in the sea level relative to the islands of Tuvalu is a contentious issue.<ref name="VG">{{cite web |author=Vincent Gray |date=15 June 2006 |title=The Truth about Tuvalu |url=http://www.climatescience.org.nz/blog/the%20truth%20-%20tuvalu%20is%20not%20sinking |access-date=14 April 2018 |archive-date=14 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414091633/http://www.climatescience.org.nz/blog/the%20truth%20-%20tuvalu%20is%20not%20sinking |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="IB111213">{{cite news |last=de Freitas |first=Chris |date=11 December 2013 |title=Human interference real threat to Pacific atolls |work=NZ Herald/Pacnews |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166377 |access-date=6 January 2018 |archive-date=6 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106173036/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166377 |url-status=live}}</ref> There were problems associated with the pre-1993 sea level records from Funafuti which resulted in improvements in the recording technology to provide more reliable data for analysis.<ref name="HJA" /> The degree of uncertainty as to estimates of sea level change relative to the islands of Tuvalu was reflected in the conclusions made in 2002 from the available data.<ref name="HJA" /> The uncertainty as to the accuracy of the data from this tide gauge resulted in a modern Aquatrak acoustic gauge being installed in 1993 by the [[Bureau of Meteorology|Australian National Tidal Facility]] (NTF) as part of the AusAID-sponsored South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project.<ref name="JRH">{{cite web |last=Hunter |first=John R. |year=2002 |title=A Note on Relative Sea Level Change at Funafuti, Tuvalu |url=http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/A-Note-on-Relative-Sea-Level-Change.pdf |access-date=6 January 2018 |publisher=Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre |archive-date=2 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302112642/http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/A-Note-on-Relative-Sea-Level-Change.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> The 2011 report of the ''Pacific Climate Change Science Program'' published by the Australian Government,<ref>{{cite web |date=November 2011 |title=Climate Change in the Pacific: Scientific Assessment and New Research |url=http://www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312001741/http://www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications.html |archive-date=12 March 2011 |access-date=30 November 2011 |work=Pacific Climate Change Science Program (Australian Government)}}</ref> concludes: "The sea-level rise near Tuvalu measured by satellite altimeters since 1993 is about {{convert|5|mm|1|abbr=on}} per year."<ref name="CCP2ch15">{{cite book |title=Climate Change in the Pacific: Volume 2: Country Reports |publisher=Pacific Climate Change Science Program |year=2011 |location=Australia Government |chapter=Ch.15 Tuvalu |chapter-url=http://www.pacificclimatechangescience.org/publications/reports/climate-variability-extremes-and-change-in-the-western-tropical-pacific-2014/ |access-date=14 March 2015 |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629174234/https://www.pacificclimatechangescience.org/publications/reports/climate-variability-extremes-and-change-in-the-western-tropical-pacific-2014/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tuvalu has adopted a national plan of action as the observable transformations over the last ten to fifteen years show Tuvaluans that there have been changes to the sea levels.<ref name="NAP">{{cite web |date=May 2007 |title=Tuvalu's National Adaptation Programme of Action |url=http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf |access-date=7 September 2015 |work=Department of Environment of Tuvalu |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172644/http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> These include sea water bubbling up through the porous coral rock to form pools at high tide and the flooding of low-lying areas including the airport during [[Perigean spring tide|spring tides]] and [[king tide]]s.<ref name="MKM" /><ref name="AHK1" /><ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Moya K. |year=1983 |title=Tuvalu: Flooding, Global Warming, and Media Coverage |url=http://www.moyak.com/papers/tuvalu-climate-change.html |access-date=15 February 2015 |archive-date=14 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014104002/http://www.moyak.com/papers/tuvalu-climate-change.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dekker |first=Rodney |date=9 December 2011 |title=Island neighbours at the mercy of rising tides |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-09/tuvalu-kiribati-climate-change/3720408 |access-date=9 December 2011 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |archive-date=2 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302174115/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-09/tuvalu-kiribati-climate-change/3720408 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cham">{{cite journal |author1=Anne Fauvre Chambers |author2=Keith Stanley Chambers |year=2007 |title=Five Takes on Climate and Cultural Change in Tuvalu |journal=The Contemporary Pacific |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=294–306 |doi=10.1353/cp.2007.0004 |s2cid=161220261}}</ref>

In November 2022, [[Simon Kofe]], Minister for Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs, proclaimed that in response to rising sea levels and the perceived failures by the outside world to combat global warming, the country would be uploading a virtual version of itself to the metaverse in an effort to preserve its history and culture.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Craymer |first=Lucy |date=2022-11-15 |title=Tuvalu turns to the metaverse as rising seas threaten existence |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/tuvalu-turns-metaverse-rising-seas-threaten-existence-2022-11-15/ |access-date=2022-11-17 |archive-date=17 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117213358/https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/tuvalu-turns-metaverse-rising-seas-threaten-existence-2022-11-15/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The major concerns about climate change has led to the launching and development of the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA). These adaptation measures are needed to decrease the amount and volume of the negative effects from climate change. NAPA has selected seven adaptation projects with all different themes. These are: coastal, agricultural, water, health, fisheries (two different projects) and disaster. For example, a "target" of one of these projects, like the project "coastal", is "increasing resilience of coastal areas and settlement to climate change". And for the project "water" it is "adaptation to frequent water shortages through increasing household water capacity, water collection accessories, and water conservation techniques".<ref>{{cite web |year=2007 |title=NAPA DRAFT FINAL: Tuvalu's National Adaptation Programme of Action |url=https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf |access-date=22 December 2021 |archive-date=12 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212071514/http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project]] (TCAP) was launched in 2017 for the purpose on enhancing the resilience of the islands of Tuvalu to meet the challenges resulting from higher sea levels.<ref name="GCF">{{cite web |last=Bouadze |first=Levan |title=Groundbreaking ceremony in Funafuti for Tuvalu's coastal adaptation |publisher=UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji |page= |date=6 December 2022 |url=https://www.undp.org/pacific/speeches/groundbreaking-ceremony-funafuti-tuvalus-coastal-adaptation |access-date=1 November 2023 |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101063815/https://www.undp.org/pacific/speeches/groundbreaking-ceremony-funafuti-tuvalus-coastal-adaptation |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvalu was the first country in the Pacific to access climate finance from [[Green Climate Fund]], with the support of the [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]].<ref name="GCF"/> In December 2022, work on the Funafuti reclamation project commenced. The project is to dredge sand from the lagoon to construct a platform on [[Funafuti]] that is {{convert|780|m|ft}} meters long and {{convert|100|m|ft}} meters wide, giving a total area of approximately 7.8 ha. (19.27 acres), which is designed to remain above sea level rise and the reach of storm waves beyond the year 2100.<ref name="GCF"/> The Australian [[Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)|Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] (DFAT) also provided funding for the TCAP. Further projects that are part of TCAP are capital works on the outer islands of [[Nanumea]] and [[Nanumaga]] aimed at reducing exposure to coastal damage resulting from storms.<ref name="GCF"/>

===Cyclones and king tides===
====Cyclones====
[[File:Ocean side Funafuti.jpg|thumb|right|Ocean side of Funafuti atoll showing the storm dunes, the highest point on the atoll]]
Because of the low elevation, the islands that make up this country are vulnerable to the effects of [[tropical cyclone]]s and by the threat of current and future [[sea level rise]].<ref name="Krales">{{cite news |first=Amelia Holowaty |last=Krales |url=http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/as-danger-laps-at-its-shores-tuvalu-pleads-for-action/ |title=As Danger Laps at Its Shores, Tuvalu Pleads for Action |date=18 October 2011 |work=The New York Times – Green: A Blog about Energy and the Environment |access-date=24 October 2011 |archive-date=20 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320014634/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/as-danger-laps-at-its-shores-tuvalu-pleads-for-action/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AMH1">{{cite magazine |last=Marantz |first=Andrew |magazine=Harpers |title=A rising tide: Planning the future of a sinking island |date=December 2011 |url=http://harpers.org/archive/2011/12/a-rising-tide/ |access-date=21 March 2015 |archive-date=16 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316131605/http://harpers.org/archive/2011/12/a-rising-tide/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AMH2">{{cite magazine |last=Marantz |first=Andrew |magazine=The New Yorker |title=The Wages of Cyclone Pam |date=18 March 2015 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-wages-of-cyclone-pam |access-date=21 March 2015 |archive-date=21 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321172631/http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-wages-of-cyclone-pam? |url-status=live}}</ref> A warning system, which uses the [[Iridium satellite constellation|Iridium]] satellite network, was introduced in 2016 to allow outlying islands to be better prepared for natural disasters.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=10 June 2016 |access-date=10 June 2016 |title=Tuvalu to introduce new early warning system |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/306132/tuvalu-to-intoduce-new-early-warning-system |archive-date=11 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611140651/http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/306132/tuvalu-to-intoduce-new-early-warning-system |url-status=live}}</ref>

The highest elevation is {{convert|4.6|m|ft}} above sea level on [[Niulakita]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Sea level rise: Some implications for Tuvalu |journal=[[The Environmentalist]] |first=James |last=Lewis |volume=9 |issue=4 |date=December 1989 |doi=10.1007/BF02241827 |pages=269–275 |bibcode=1989ThEnv...9..269L |s2cid=84796023}}</ref> Tuvalu thus has the second-lowest maximum elevation of any country (after the [[Maldives]]). The highest elevations are typically in narrow storm dunes on the ocean side of the islands which are prone to overtopping in tropical cyclones, as occurred with [[Cyclone Bebe]], which was a very early-season storm that passed through the Tuvaluan atolls in October 1972.<ref name="BOM1975">Bureau of Meteorology (1975) ''Tropical Cyclones in the Northern Australian Regions 1971–1972'' Australian Government Publishing Service</ref> Cyclone Bebe submerged Funafuti, eliminating 95% of structures on the island, with 6 people lost in the cyclone.<ref name="JRBebe">{{cite web |last=Resture |first=Jane |title=Hurricane Bebe Left 19 People Dead And Thousands Misplaced In Fiji and Tuvalu |publisher=Janeresture.com |date=14 October 2022 |url=https://www.janeresture.com/hurricane-bebe/ |access-date=3 December 2023 |archive-date=3 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203112934/https://www.janeresture.com/hurricane-bebe/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Sources of drinking water were contaminated as a result of the system's storm surge and the flooding of the sources of fresh water.<ref name="PIM1973-5">{{cite web |last= |first= |work=44(5) Pacific Islands Monthly |title=Life bounces back in the Ellice |date=1 May 1966 |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-336976092/view?sectionId=nla.obj-340950828&partId=nla.obj-337014010#page/n22/mode/1up |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002103643/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-336976092/view?sectionId=nla.obj-340950828&partId=nla.obj-337014010#page/n22/mode/1up |url-status=live}}</ref>

George Westbrook, a trader on Funafuti, recorded a cyclone that struck Funafuti on 23–24 December 1883.<ref name="BKE">{{cite journal |last1=McLean |first1=R.F. |last2=Munro |first2=D. |url=http://uspaquatic.library.usp.ac.fj/gsdl/collect/spjnas/index/assoc/HASH0199.dir/doc.pdf |title=Late 19th century Tropical Storms and Hurricanes in Tuvalu |journal=South Pacific Journal of Natural History |volume=11 |year=1991 |pages=213–219 |access-date=10 April 2019 |archive-date=10 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410113306/http://uspaquatic.library.usp.ac.fj/gsdl/collect/spjnas/index/assoc/HASH0199.dir/doc.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> A cyclone struck Nukulaelae on 17–18 March 1886.<ref name="BKE"/>
A cyclone caused severe damage to the islands in 1894.<ref name="TAH2">{{cite book |first1=Pasoni |last1=Taafaki |editor-first1=Hugh |editor-last1=Laracy |title=Tuvalu: A History |year=1983 |publisher=Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Government of Tuvalu |page=27 |chapter=Chapter 2 – The Old Order}}</ref>

Tuvalu experienced an average of three cyclones per decade between the 1940s and 1970s; however, eight occurred in the 1980s.<ref name="JCon"/> The impact of individual cyclones is subject to variables including the force of the winds and also whether a cyclone coincides with high tides. Funafuti's [[Pukasavilivili|Tepuka Vili Vili]] [[islet]] was devastated by [[Cyclone Meli]] in 1979, with all its vegetation and most of its sand swept away during the cyclone. Along with a [[1989–90 South Pacific cyclone season#Samoa Depression|tropical depression]] that affected the islands a few days later, [[Cyclone Ofa|Severe Tropical Cyclone Ofa]] had a major impact on Tuvalu with most islands reporting damage to vegetation and crops.<ref name="STD">{{cite report |author=Koop, Neville L |others=Fiji Meteorological Service |issue=1 |volume=35 |oclc=648466886 |type=Mariners Weather Log |date=Winter 1991 |publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Oceanographic Data Service |issn=0025-3367 |page=53 |editor=DeAngellis, Richard M |title=Samoa Depression}}</ref><ref name="Tuv Disaster">{{cite report |publisher=Australian Overseas Disaster Response Organisation |isbn=1875405054 |pages=2–3, 6 |date=April 1992 |url=http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/JB-DM_148_TUV_1991_disaster_workshop_report.pdf |title=Report on the disaster preparedness workshop held in Funafuti, Tuvalu, 14 – 17 October, 1991 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201231448/http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/JB-DM_148_TUV_1991_disaster_workshop_report.pdf |archive-date=1 February 2014}}</ref> [[Cyclone Gavin]] was first identified during 2 March 1997, and was the first of three tropical cyclones to affect Tuvalu during the 1996–97 cyclone season, with Cyclones [[Cyclone Hina|Hina]] and [[Cyclone Keli|Keli]] following later in the season.

In March 2015, the winds and storm surge created by [[Cyclone Pam]] resulted in waves of {{convert|3|to|5|m|ft}} breaking over the reef of the outer islands, causing damage to houses, crops and infrastructure.<ref name="TuvaluReport">{{cite report |work=International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies |publisher=ReliefWeb |date=16 March 2015 |access-date=17 March 2015 |title=Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) Tuvalu: Tropical Cyclone Pam |url=http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/MDRTV001dref.pdf}}</ref><ref name="RNZI19">{{cite web |work=Radio New Zealand International |title=One Tuvalu island evacuated after flooding from Pam |date=18 March 2015 |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/268988/one-tuvalu-island-evacuated-after-flooding-from-pam |access-date=18 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402170600/http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/268988/one-tuvalu-island-evacuated-after-flooding-from-pam |url-status=live}}</ref> A state of emergency was declared. On Nui, the sources of fresh water were destroyed or contaminated.<ref name="SBS15">{{cite web |work=SBS Australia |title=Flooding in Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu as Cyclone Pam strengthens |date=13 March 2015 |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/03/13/flooding-vanuatu-kiribati-and-tuvalu-cyclone-pam-strengthens |access-date=15 March 2015 |archive-date=3 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803054033/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/03/13/flooding-vanuatu-kiribati-and-tuvalu-cyclone-pam-strengthens |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RNZI14">{{cite web |work=Radio New Zealand International |title=State of emergency in Tuvalu |date=14 March 2015 |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/268612/state-of-emergency-in-tuvalu |access-date=15 March 2015 |archive-date=16 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316020244/http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/268612/state-of-emergency-in-tuvalu |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RNZI15">{{cite web |work=Radio New Zealand International |title=45 percent of Tuvalu population displaced – PM |date=15 March 2015 |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/268686/45-percent-of-tuvalu-population-displaced-pm |access-date=15 March 2015 |archive-date=16 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316045804/http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/268686/45-percent-of-tuvalu-population-displaced-pm |url-status=live}}</ref> The flooding in Nui and Nukufetau caused many families to shelter in evacuation centres or with other families.<ref name=RW22>{{cite web |url=http://reliefweb.int/report/tuvalu/tuvalu-tropical-cyclone-pam-situation-report-no-1-22-march-2015 |title=Tuvalu: Tropical Cyclone Pam Situation Report No. 1 (as of 22 March 2015) |date=22 March 2015 |publisher=Relief Web |access-date=25 March 2015 |archive-date=27 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327212850/http://reliefweb.int/report/tuvalu/tuvalu-tropical-cyclone-pam-situation-report-no-1-22-march-2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Nui suffered the most damage of the three central islands (Nui, Nukufetau and Vaitupu);<ref name="UNDP2">{{cite web |work=United Nations Development Programme |title=Forgotten paradise under water |date=1 May 2015 |url=https://undp.exposure.co/forgotten-paradise-under-water |access-date=8 June 2015 |archive-date=9 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609023832/https://undp.exposure.co/forgotten-paradise-under-water |url-status=live}}</ref> with both Nui and Nukufetau suffering the loss of 90% of the crops.<ref name=RW30>{{cite web |url=http://reliefweb.int/report/tuvalu/tuvalu-tropical-cyclone-pam-situation-report-no-2-30-march-2015 |title=Tuvalu: Tropical Cyclone Pam Situation Report No. 2 (as of 30 March 2015) |date=30 March 2015 |publisher=Relief Web |access-date=30 March 2015 |archive-date=8 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708082413/http://reliefweb.int/report/tuvalu/tuvalu-tropical-cyclone-pam-situation-report-no-2-30-march-2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Of the three northern islands (Nanumanga, Niutao and Nanumea), Nanumanga suffered the most damage, with from 60 to 100 houses flooded, with the waves also causing damage to the health facility.<ref name=RW30/> [[Vasafua]] islet, part of the [[Funafuti Conservation Area]], was severely damaged by Cyclone Pam. The coconut palms were washed away, leaving the islet as a sand bar.<ref name="VIV">{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=David |work=Tuvalu-odyssey.net |title=Vasafua Islet vanishes |date=4 July 2015 |url=http://www.tuvalu-odyssey.net/vasafua-islet-vanishes/ |access-date=22 July 2015 |archive-date=22 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722081428/http://www.tuvalu-odyssey.net/vasafua-islet-vanishes/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TO13">{{cite web |last=Endou |first=Shuuichi |work=Tuvalu Overview (Japanese) |title=バサフア島、消失・・・(Vasafua Islet vanishes) |date=28 March 2015 |url=http://www.tuvalu-overview.tv/blog/news/3253/ |access-date=22 July 2015 |archive-date=23 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523180705/http://www.tuvalu-overview.tv/blog/news/3253/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Tuvalu Government carried out assessments of the damage caused by Cyclone Pam to the islands and has provided medical aid, food as well as assistance for the cleaning-up of storm debris. Government and Non-Government Organisations provided assistance technical, funding and material support to Tuvalu to assist with recovery, including [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office|UNICEF EAPRO]], [[Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme|UNDP Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme]], [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|OCHA]], [[World Bank]], [[Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)|DFAT]], [[New Zealand Red Cross]] & [[International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies|IFRC]], [[Fiji National University]] and governments of New Zealand, Netherlands, UAE, Taiwan and the United States.<ref name=WHO04>{{cite web |url=http://reliefweb.int/report/tuvalu/tuvalu-situation-update-3-april-2015 |title=Tuvalu situation update: Securing health from disastrous impacts of cyclone Pam in Tuvalu |date=3 April 2015 |publisher=Relief Web/World health Organisation – Western Pacific Region |access-date=8 June 2015 |archive-date=8 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608124717/http://reliefweb.int/report/tuvalu/tuvalu-situation-update-3-april-2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite passing over {{convert|500|km|mi|round=5|abbr=on}} to the south of the island nation, [[Cyclone Tino]] and its associated convergence zone impacted the whole of Tuvalu between January 16&nbsp;- 19 of 2020.<ref name="Tuvalu SWB 1">{{cite report |title=Special Weather Bulletin Number 1 for Tuvalu January 16, 2020 10z |publisher=Fiji Meteorological Service |date=January 16, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Swept">{{cite news |title="It swept right over": Tuvalu inundated by waves whipped up by Cyclone Tino |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/407611/it-swept-right-over-tuvalu-inundated-by-waves-whipped-up-by-cyclone-tino |access-date=February 8, 2020 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=January 20, 2020 |archive-date=9 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109134711/https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/407611/it-swept-right-over-tuvalu-inundated-by-waves-whipped-up-by-cyclone-tino |url-status=live}}</ref>

====King tides====
Tuvalu is also affected by [[perigean spring tide]] events which raise the sea level higher than a normal [[high tide]].<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Shukman |title=Tuvalu struggles to hold back tide |date=22 January 2008 |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7203313.stm |access-date=5 August 2008 |archive-date=5 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305222814/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7203313.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> The highest peak tide recorded by the [[Tuvalu Meteorological Service]] is {{convert|3.4|m|ft}}, on 24 February 2006 and again on 19 February 2015.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=24 February 2015 |access-date=17 March 2015 |title=Tuvalu surveys road damage after king tides |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/266995/tuvalu-surveys-road-damage-after-king-tides |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095045/http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/266995/tuvalu-surveys-road-damage-after-king-tides |url-status=live}}</ref> As a result of the historical sea level rise, the [[king tide]] events lead to flooding of low-lying areas, which is compounded when sea levels are further raised by [[La Niña]] effects or local storms and waves.<ref>{{cite web |last=Packard |first=Aaron |title=The Unfolding Crisis in Kiribati and the Urgency of Response |publisher=HuffPostGreen |date=12 March 2015 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-packard/the-unfolding-crisis-in-kiribati-and-the-urgency-of-response_b_6854386.html |access-date=14 March 2015 |archive-date=13 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313221905/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-packard/the-unfolding-crisis-in-kiribati-and-the-urgency-of-response_b_6854386.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PDV-24-2-15">{{cite news |last1=Eliuta |first1=Niuone |title=Science says Tuvalu will drown within decades; the reality is worse |url=https://devpolicy.org/science-says-tuvalu-will-drown-within-decades-the-reality-is-worse-20240215/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |work=PolicyDevBlog |date=15 February 2024 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215005444/https://devpolicy.org/science-says-tuvalu-will-drown-within-decades-the-reality-is-worse-20240215/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Water and sanitation===
[[Rainwater harvesting]] is the principal source of fresh water in Tuvalu. Nukufetau, Vaitupu and Nanumea are the only islands with sustainable groundwater supplies. The effectiveness of rainwater harvesting is diminished because of poor maintenance of roofs, gutters and pipes.<ref name="FTMN"/><ref>Kingston, P A (2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120111155715/http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/C46440CE-2030-47F5-A1BC-14BFA54354FE/0/Tuvalu.pdf Surveillance of Drinking Water Quality in the Pacific Islands: Situation Analysis and Needs Assessment, Country Reports]. WHO. Retrieved 25 March 2010</ref> Aid programmes of Australia and the European Union have been directed to improving the storage capacity on Funafuti and in the outer islands.<ref name=10EDF>{{cite web |url=http://www.delfji.ec.europa.eu/en/achievements/tuvalu.htm |title=Tuvalu – 10th European Development Fund |work=Delegation of the European Union |access-date=24 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008065407/http://www.delfji.ec.europa.eu/en/achievements/tuvalu.htm |archive-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Reverse osmosis (R/O) desalination units supplement rainwater harvesting on Funafuti. The 65 m<sup>3</sup> desalination plant operates at a real production level of around 40 m<sup>3</sup> per day. R/O water is only intended to be produced when storage falls below 30%; however, demand to replenish household storage supplies with tanker-delivered water means that the R/O desalination units are continually operating. Water is delivered at a cost of A$3.50 per m<sup>3</sup>. Cost of production and delivery has been estimated at A$6 per m<sup>3</sup>, with the difference subsidised by the government.<ref name="FTMN"/>

In July 2012, a United Nations Special Rapporteur called on the Tuvalu Government to develop a national water strategy to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2012/07/un-human-right-to-safe-drinking-water-mission-to-tuvalu/ |title=Mission to Tuvalu – Press Statement United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation |date=19 July 2012 |publisher=Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, United Nations Special Rapporteur |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-date=23 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023005338/http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2012/07/un-human-right-to-safe-drinking-water-mission-to-tuvalu/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-20/an-tuvalu-water-and-sanitation/4143036 |title=Tuvalu urged to develop national water strategy |date=19 July 2012 |publisher=Australian Network News |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-date=22 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722171644/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-20/an-tuvalu-water-and-sanitation/4143036 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, Tuvalu developed a National Water Resources Policy under the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project and the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) Project, which are sponsored by the Global Environment Fund/SOPAC. Government water planning has established a target of between 50 and 100L of water per person per day accounting for drinking water, cleaning, community and cultural activities.<ref name="FTMN" />

Tuvalu is working with the [[South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission]] (SOPAC) to implement composting toilets and to improve the treatment of sewage sludge from septic tanks on [[Fongafale]], for septic tanks are leaking into the [[Lens (hydrology)|freshwater lens]] in the sub-surface of the atoll as well as the ocean and lagoon. Composting toilets reduce water use by up to 30%.<ref name="FTMN"/>

==Government==
{{main|Politics of Tuvalu}}
[[File:Government office building.jpg|thumb|Tuvaluan Parliament Chamber]]

===Parliamentary democracy===
{{see also|Human rights in Tuvalu}}
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 [[Bill of rights|Principles of the Bill of Rights]] and the [[Fundamental rights|Protection of the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms]]. On 5 September 2023, Tuvalu's parliament passed the Constitution of Tuvalu Act 2023,<ref name="SKJM">{{cite web |last=Simon Kofe and Jess Marinaccio |title=Tuvalu Constitution updated: culture, climate change and decolonisation |publisher=DevPolicyBlog – Development Policy Centre |page= |date=21 September 2023 |url=https://devpolicy.org/tuvalu-constitution-updated-culture-climate-change-and-decolonisation-20230921/ |access-date=27 November 2023 |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128064801/https://devpolicy.org/tuvalu-constitution-updated-culture-climate-change-and-decolonisation-20230921/ |url-status=live}}</ref> with the changes to the constitution came into effect on 1 October 2023.<ref name="CofT23">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Constitution of Tuvalu |publisher=Government of Tuvalu |page= |date=5 September 2023 |url=https://tuvalu-legislation.tv/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/1986/1986-0001/ConstitutionofTuvalu_2.pdf |access-date=27 November 2023 |archive-date=3 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203110943/https://tuvalu-legislation.tv/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/1986/1986-0001/ConstitutionofTuvalu_2.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tuvalu is a [[parliamentary democracy]] and [[Commonwealth realm]] with [[Charles III]] as [[Monarchy of Tuvalu|King of Tuvalu]]. Since the King resides in the United Kingdom, he is represented in Tuvalu by a [[Governor General of Tuvalu|governor general]], whom he appoints upon the advice of the [[Prime Minister of Tuvalu|prime minister of Tuvalu]].<ref name="IPU81"/> Referendums were carried out in [[1986 Tuvaluan constitutional referendum|1986]] and [[2008 Tuvaluan constitutional referendum|2008]] seeking to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic, but on both occasions the monarchy was retained.

From 1974 (the creation of the British colony of Tuvalu) until independence, the legislative body of Tuvalu was called the ''House of the Assembly'' or ''Fale I Fono''. Following independence in October 1978, the House of the Assembly was renamed the [[Parliament of Tuvalu]] or ''Palamene o Tuvalu''.<ref name="IPU81"/> The place at which the parliament sits is called the ''Vaiaku maneapa''.<ref name="TT96-1">{{cite web |last=Taafaki |first=Tauaasa |title=South Pacific – Governance in the Pacific: the dismissal of Tuvalu's Governor-General |publisher=Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, ANU (No 96/5) |page= |year=1996 |url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/210296/1/b1967241x.pdf |access-date=28 August 2021 |archive-date=27 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827234001/https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/210296/1/b1967241x.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The ''maneapa'' on each island is an open meeting place where the chiefs and elders deliberate and make decisions.<ref name="TT96-1"/>

The [[unicameral]] Parliament has 16 members, with elections held every four years. The members of parliament select the Prime Minister (who is the [[head of government]]) and the [[List of Speakers of the Parliament of Tuvalu|Speaker of Parliament]]. The ministers that form the [[Cabinet of Tuvalu|Cabinet]] are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. There are no formal political parties; election campaigns are largely based on personal/family ties and reputations.

The 2023 amendments to the [[Constitution of Tuvalu|Constitution]] recognise the [[Falekaupule]] as the traditional governing authorities of the islands of Tuvalu.<ref name="SKJM1">{{cite web |last=Simon Kofe and Jess Marinaccio |title=Tuvalu Constitution updated: culture, climate change and decolonisation |publisher=DevPolicyBlog – Development Policy Centre |page= |date=21 September 2023 |url=https://devpolicy.org/tuvalu-constitution-updated-culture-climate-change-and-decolonisation-20230921/ |access-date=29 November 2023 |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128064808/https://devpolicy.org/tuvalu-constitution-updated-culture-climate-change-and-decolonisation-20230921/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Tuvalu National Library and Archives]] holds "vital documentation on the cultural, social and political heritage of Tuvalu", including surviving records from the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands|colonial]] administration, as well as Tuvalu government archives.<ref name="bl.uk">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070202161907/http://www.bl.uk/about/policies/endangeredarch/2006/rovery.html "Tuvalu National Archives major project"], British Library</ref>

Tuvalu is a state party to the following human rights treaties: the [[Convention on the Rights of the Child]] (CRC); the [[Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women]] (CEDAW) and; the [[Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities]] (CRPD).<ref name="HR">{{cite web |work=Attorney General's Office of Tuvalu and the Pacific Community (SPC) |title=Tuvalu National Human Rights Action Plan 2016–2020 |year=2016 |url=http://rrrt.spc.int/publications-media/publications/item/740-tuvalu-national-human-rights-action-plan |access-date=5 February 2017 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115163833/http://rrrt.spc.int/publications-media/publications/item/740-tuvalu-national-human-rights-action-plan |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvalu has commitments to ensuring human rights are respected under the [[Universal Periodic Review]] (UPR) and the [[Sustainable Development Goals]] (SDGs).

The national strategy plan ''Te Kete – National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2021–2030'' sets out the development agenda of the Government of Tuvalu,<ref name="TK21-30">{{cite web |work=Government of Tuvalu |title=Te Kete – National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2021–2030 |date=2020 |url=https://australiaawardsfijiandtuvalu.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Te-Kete-2021-2030-National-Development-Strategy.pdf |access-date=27 April 2021 |archive-date=3 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803011343/https://australiaawardsfijiandtuvalu.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Te-Kete-2021-2030-National-Development-Strategy.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TK2020">{{cite web |last=Tausi |first=Kitiona |title=Minister Announces New Name For National Strategy For Sustainable Development |chapter= |date=30 November 2020 |publisher=Tuvalu Paradise |url=https://tuvaluparadise.tv/2020/11/30/minister-announces-new-name-for-national-strategy-for-sustainable-development/ |access-date=15 January 2021 |archive-date=24 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124072109/https://tuvaluparadise.tv/2020/11/30/minister-announces-new-name-for-national-strategy-for-sustainable-development/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> which followed on from ''Te Kakeega III – National Strategy for Sustainable Development-2016-2020'' (TK III). The areas of development in these strategic plans include education; climate change; environment; migration and urbanisation.<ref name="TK21-30"/><ref name="TK III">{{cite web |work=Government of Tuvalu |title=Te Kakeega III – National Strategy for Sustainable Development-2016-2020 |year=2016 |url=http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/linked-documents/cobp-tuv-2017-2019-ld-02.pdf |access-date=5 February 2017 |archive-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231072945/https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/linked-documents/cobp-tuv-2017-2019-ld-02.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Tuvalu National Council for Women]] acts as an umbrella organisation for non-governmental women's rights groups throughout the country and works closely with the government.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://pacificwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Tuvalu-gender-stocktake.pdf |title=Stocktake of the Gender Mainstreaming Capacity of Pacific Island Governments: TUVALU |publisher=Secretariat of the Pacific Community |year=2013 |access-date=9 September 2021 |archive-date=8 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908203024/https://pacificwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Tuvalu-gender-stocktake.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Legal system===
There are eight Island Courts and Lands Courts; appeals in relation to land disputes are made to the Lands Courts Appeal Panel. Appeals from the Island Courts and the Lands Courts Appeal Panel are made to the Magistrates Court, which has jurisdiction to hear civil cases involving up to [[Tuvaluan dollar|$T]]10,000. The superior court is the [[High Court of Tuvalu]] as it has unlimited original jurisdiction to determine the [[Law of Tuvalu]] and to hear appeals from the lower courts. Rulings of the High Court can be appealed to the [[Court of Appeal of Tuvalu]]. From the Court of Appeal, there is a right of appeal to His Majesty in Council, i.e., the [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] in London.<ref name="SPL">{{cite book |author1=Corrin-Care, Jennifer |author2=Newton, Tess |author3=Paterson, Don |name-list-style=amp |title=Introduction to South Pacific Law |year=1999 |publisher=Cavendish Publishing Ltd |location=London}}</ref><ref name="PACLIIct">{{cite web |work=Tuvalu Courts System Information |title=PACLII |url=http://www.paclii.org/tv/courts.html |access-date=10 March 2013 |archive-date=14 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114190230/http://www.paclii.org/tv/courts.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

With regard to the judiciary, "the first female Island Court magistrate was appointed to the Island Court in Nanumea in the 1980s and another in Nukulaelae in the early 1990s." There were 7 female magistrates in the Island Courts of Tuvalu (as of 2007) in comparison "to the past where only one woman magistrate served in the Magistrate Court of Tuvalu."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pacwip.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Women-Place-Chapter-5-Tuvalu-2007.pdf |title=Advancing Women's Political Participation in Tuvalu: A Research Project Commissioned by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) |last1=Kofe |first1=Susie Saitala |last2=Taomia |first2=Fakavae |year=2007 |access-date=12 March 2018 |archive-date=12 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312143857/https://www.pacwip.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Women-Place-Chapter-5-Tuvalu-2007.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Law of Tuvalu]] comprises the Acts voted into law by the Parliament of Tuvalu and statutory instruments that become law; certain Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom (during the time Tuvalu was either a British protectorate or British colony); the [[common law]]; and [[customary law]] (particularly in relation to the ownership of land).<ref name="SPL"/><ref name="PACLIIct"/> The land tenure system is largely based on ''kaitasi'' (extended family ownership).<ref name="TvAIP2">{{cite web |title=Pacific Aviation Investment Program (PAIP) Environmental Management Plan – Funafuti International Airport(FUN) and Road Interim Working Document |publisher=AECOM |date=13 November 2013 |url=http://tvaip.com//docstation/com_docstation/8/tuvalu_emp_final_draft_rev_f.pdf |access-date=18 March 2016 |archive-date=25 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325114135/http://tvaip.com//docstation/com_docstation/8/tuvalu_emp_final_draft_rev_f.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Tuvalu}}
[[File:11.01 總統會晤吐瓦魯總督 (38093830851).jpg|thumb|Taiwan President [[Tsai Ing-wen]] visits Governor-General of Tuvalu [[Iakoba Italeli]] in November 2017]]
Tuvalu participates in the work of [[Secretariat of the Pacific Community|the Pacific Community (SPC)]] and is a member of the [[Pacific Islands Forum]], the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and the [[United Nations]]. It has maintained a mission at the United Nations in [[New York City]] since 2000. Tuvalu became a member of the [[Asian Development Bank]] in 1993,<ref name=ADB22>{{cite web |first= |last= |title=Asian Development Bank Member Fact Sheet: Tuvalu |work=Asian Development Bank Institute |date=March 2022 |url=https://think-asia.org/handle/11540/14889 |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=19 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319105608/https://think-asia.org/handle/11540/14889 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and became a member of the [[World Bank]] in 2010.<ref name=WB10>{{cite web |first= |last= |title=The World Bank Group Welcomes Tuvalu – its Newest and Smallest Member |work=World Bank |date=4 June 2010 |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2010/06/24/the-world-bank-group-welcomes-tuvalu-its-newest-and-smallest-member |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=19 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319105602/https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2010/06/24/the-world-bank-group-welcomes-tuvalu-its-newest-and-smallest-member |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tuvalu maintains close relations with [[Fiji]], [[New Zealand]], [[Australia]] (which has maintained a [[High commissioner (Commonwealth)|High Commission]] in Tuvalu since 2018),<ref name=dfatT-v>{{cite web |url=https://tuvalu.highcommission.gov.au/ |title=Australian High Commission -Tuvalu |publisher=Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |access-date=6 January 2021 |archive-date=19 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419014441/https://tuvalu.highcommission.gov.au/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], Taiwan, the [[United States|United States of America]], the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[European Union]]. It has diplomatic relations with Taiwan;<ref name="RNZI_37244">{{cite web |url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37244 |title=Taiwan thanks Tuvalu for its backing |date=27 December 2007 |work=[[Radio New Zealand International]] |access-date=30 September 2011 |archive-date=13 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213172852/http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37244 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16340072 |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Country profile: Tuvalu |date=14 December 2011 |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=1 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401154147/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1249549.stm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=R0919>{{cite news |last=Colin Packham & Jonathan Barrett |title=Tuvalu changes PM, adds to concerns over backing for Taiwan in Pacific |newspaper=Reuters |date=19 September 2019 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taiwan-diplomacy-tuvalu/tuvalu-changes-pm-adds-to-concerns-over-backing-for-taiwan-in-pacific-idUSKBN1W400A |access-date=19 September 2019 |archive-date=4 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004102920/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taiwan-diplomacy-tuvalu/tuvalu-changes-pm-adds-to-concerns-over-backing-for-taiwan-in-pacific-idUSKBN1W400A |url-status=live}}</ref> which maintains an embassy in Tuvalu and has a large assistance programme in the islands.<ref>[http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=5582 "Taiwan: Seeking to Prevent Tuvalu from Recognizing China"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904023430/http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=5582 |date=4 September 2015 }}, UNPO, 9 October 2006</ref><ref name=RNZ23919>{{cite web |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |title=Climate advocacy, Taiwan to remain priorities for new Tuvalu government |date=23 September 2019 |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/399377/climate-advocacy-taiwan-to-remain-priorities-for-new-tuvalu-government |access-date=23 September 2019 |archive-date=22 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922223650/https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/399377/climate-advocacy-taiwan-to-remain-priorities-for-new-tuvalu-government |url-status=live}}</ref>

A major international priority for Tuvalu in the UN, at the 2002 [[Earth Summit]] in [[Johannesburg]], South Africa and in other international fora, is promoting concern about global warming and the possible sea level rising. Tuvalu advocates ratification and implementation of the [[Kyoto Protocol]]. In December 2009, the islands stalled talks on climate change at the [[United Nations Climate Change Conference]] in Copenhagen, fearing some other developing countries were not committing fully to binding deals on a reduction in carbon emissions. Their chief negotiator stated, "Tuvalu is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and our future rests on the outcome of this meeting."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8403745.stm |title=Developing countries split over climate measures |first=Richard |last=Black |work=[[BBC News]] |date=9 December 2009 |access-date=18 January 2010 |archive-date=18 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218223529/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8403745.stm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tuvalu participates in the [[Alliance of Small Island States]] (AOSIS), which is a coalition of small island and low-lying coastal countries that have concerns about their vulnerability to the adverse effects of global climate change. Under the [[Majuro Declaration]], which was signed on 5 September 2013, Tuvalu has made a commitment to implement power generation of [[100% renewable energy]] (between 2013 and 2020), which is proposed to be implemented using Solar PV (95% of demand) and biodiesel (5% of demand). The feasibility of wind power generation will be considered.<ref name="MD050913">{{cite web |url=http://www.majurodeclaration.org/the_declaration/ |title=Majuro Declaration: For Climate Leadership |date=5 September 2013 |work=Pacific Islands Forum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323062847/http://www.majurodeclaration.org/the_declaration/ |archive-date=23 March 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=7 September 2013}}</ref> Tuvalu participates in the operations of the [[Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission]] (SOPAC) and the [[Pacific Regional Environment Programme|Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme]] (SPREP).<ref name=SPREP>{{cite web |url=http://www.sprep.org/ |title=SPREC |year=2009 |publisher=Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme |access-date=22 October 2011 |archive-date=11 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011043522/http://www.sprep.org/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tuvalu is party to a treaty of friendship with the United States, signed soon after independence and ratified by the [[United States Senate|US Senate]] in 1983, under which the United States renounced prior territorial claims to four Tuvaluan islands ([[Funafuti]], [[Nukufetau]], [[Nukulaelae]] and [[Niulakita]]) under the [[Guano Islands Act]] of 1856.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/disputedpage.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014736/http://www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/disputedpage.htm |archive-date=30 September 2007 |title=Formerly Disputed Islands |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs}}</ref>

Tuvalu participates in the operations of the [[Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency]] (FFA)<ref name=FFA>{{cite web |url=http://www.ffa.int/ |title=Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency |access-date=11 October 2010 |archive-date=28 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828121608/http://www.ffa.int/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission]] (WCPFC).<ref name=FWCFC>{{cite web |url=http://www.wcpfc.int/ |title=The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) |access-date=29 March 2012 |archive-date=8 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308000837/http://www.wcpfc.int/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Tuvaluan government, the [[US government]], and the governments of other Pacific islands are parties to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty (SPTT), which entered into force in 1988.<ref name=SPTT>{{cite web |url=http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/IFD/ifd_sptt.html |title=South Pacific Tuna Treaty (SPTT) |year=1988 |access-date=1 September 2010 |archive-date=6 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806025920/http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/IFD/ifd_sptt.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvalu is also a member of the [[Nauru Agreement]] which addresses the management of tuna [[seine fishing|purse seine fishing]] in the tropical western Pacific. The United States and the Pacific Islands countries have negotiated the Multilateral Fisheries Treaty (which encompasses the South Pacific Tuna Treaty) to confirm access to the fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific for US tuna boats. Tuvalu and the other members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the United States have settled a tuna fishing deal for 2015; a longer-term deal will be negotiated. The treaty is an extension of the Nauru Agreement and provides for the US flagged purse seine vessels to fish 8,300 days in the region in return for a payment of US$90&nbsp;million made up by tuna fishing industry and US-Government contributions.<ref>{{cite web |work=FIS Australia |title=Pacific Islands and the US settle tuna deal |date=9 October 2014 |url=http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=9&id=71927&l=e&special=0&ndb=0 |access-date=18 October 2014 |archive-date=3 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703211313/http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=9&id=71927&l=e&special=0&ndb=0 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, Tuvalu refused to sell fishing days to certain nations and fleets that have blocked Tuvaluan initiatives to develop and sustain their own fishery.<ref name="PAC_120615">{{cite web |url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=309639 |title=Tuvalu refuses to sell fishing days |date=13 June 2015 |work=The Fijian Times Online (PNA/PACNEWS) |access-date=13 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807133011/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=309639 |archive-date=7 August 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2016, the Minister of Natural Resources drew attention to Article 30 of the WCPF Convention, which describes the collective obligation of members to consider the disproportionate burden that management measures might place on small-island developing states.<ref name="PB16">{{cite web |work=Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) |title=TWCPFC13: Don't forget Article 30- Tuvalu reminds Tuna Commission of 'disproportionate burden' for SIDS |date=5 December 2016 |url=http://www.ffa.int/node/1831 |access-date=10 December 2016 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180944/http://www.ffa.int/node/1831 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In July 2013, Tuvalu signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish the Pacific Regional Trade and Development Facility, which Facility originated in 2006, in the context of negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Pacific ACP States and the [[European Union]]. The rationale for the creation of the Facility being to improve the delivery of aid to Pacific island countries in support of the [[Aid effectiveness|Aid-for-Trade]] (AfT) requirements. The Pacific ACP States are the countries in the Pacific that are signatories to the [[Cotonou Agreement]] with the [[European Union]].<ref name="STT">{{cite web |last=The Secretary General |title=Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu Sign the MOU to establish Trade and Development Facility |publisher=Press Statement 40/13, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat |date=19 July 2013 |url=http://www.forumsec.org/pages.cfm/newsroom/press-statements/2013/samoa-tonga-tuvalu-sign-mou-to-establish-trade-development-facility.html |access-date=27 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030205728/http://www.forumsec.org/pages.cfm/newsroom/press-statements/2013/samoa-tonga-tuvalu-sign-mou-to-establish-trade-development-facility.html |archive-date=30 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On 31 May 2017 the first enhanced High Level Political Dialogue between Tuvalu and the European Union under the Cotonou Agreement was held in Funafuti.<ref name="EU2020">{{cite news |title=Enhanced High Level Political Dialogue between Tuvalu and the European Union |url=https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/angola/27319/enhanced-high-level-political-dialogue-between-tuvalu-and-european-union_fr |publisher=European Union |date=2 June 2017 |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108071224/https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/angola/27319/enhanced-high-level-political-dialogue-between-tuvalu-and-european-union_fr |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 18 February 2016, Tuvalu signed the Pacific Islands Development Forum Charter and formally joined the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF).<ref name="PIDF0316">{{cite web |last=The Secretary General |title=Tuvalu signs PIDF Charter and formally joins PIDF |publisher=Pacific Islands Development Forum |date=18 February 2016 |url=http://pacificidf.org/tuvalu-signs-pidf-charter-and-formally-joins-pidf/ |access-date=17 March 2016 |archive-date=15 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315072122/http://pacificidf.org/tuvalu-signs-pidf-charter-and-formally-joins-pidf/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> In June 2017, Tuvalu signed the [[Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations]] (PACER).<ref name="PACER1">{{cite web |title=Tuvalu to sign regional trade deal |publisher=[[Radio NZ]] |date=1 June 2017 |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/332103/tuvalu-to-sign-regional-trade-deal |access-date=2 June 2017 |archive-date=1 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601071743/http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/332103/tuvalu-to-sign-regional-trade-deal |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PACER2">{{cite web |title=PACER-Plus Regional Trade Agreement Signed in Tonga Ceremony |publisher=Pacific Islands Report/Radio NZ |date=14 June 2017 |url=http://www.pireport.org/articles/2017/06/14/pacer-plus-regional-trade-agreement-signed-tonga-ceremony |access-date=15 June 2017 |archive-date=15 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615070128/http://www.pireport.org/articles/2017/06/14/pacer-plus-regional-trade-agreement-signed-tonga-ceremony |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tuvalu ratified the PACER agreement in January 2022. The agreement is designed to reduce trade barriers between signatories of the agreement. Existing import tariffs will reduce to zero, and the agreement contemplates additional actions to reduce trade barriers, including harmonizing customs procedures and rules of origin, as well as eliminating restrictions to services trade, and improving labour mobility schemes between countries.<ref name="B2023">{{cite web |title=Tuvalu: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Tuvalu |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2023/07/19/Tuvalu-2023-Article-IV-Consultation-Press-Release-Staff-Report-and-Statement-by-the-536777 |publisher=International Monetary Fund Country Report No. 2023/267 |page=6 |date=21 July 2023 |access-date=24 September 2023 |archive-date=20 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820225614/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2023/07/19/Tuvalu-2023-Article-IV-Consultation-Press-Release-Staff-Report-and-Statement-by-the-536777 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Defence and law enforcement===
{{Main|Tuvalu Police Force}}
Tuvalu has no regular military forces, and spends no money on the military. Its national police force, the [[Tuvalu Police Force]] headquartered in Funafuti, includes a maritime [[surveillance]] unit, customs, prisons and immigration. Police officers wear [[Law enforcement in the United Kingdom|British-style]] [[uniform]]s.

From 1994 to 2019 Tuvalu policed its 200-kilometre [[exclusive economic zone]] with the [[Pacific-class patrol boat]] [[HMTSS Te Mataili|HMTSS ''Te Mataili'']], provided by Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tuvalu country brief |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/GEO/tuvalu/tuvalu_brief.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606234527/http://www.dfat.gov.au/GEO/tuvalu/tuvalu_brief.html |archive-date=2011-06-06 |access-date=14 April 2010 |publisher=Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade}}</ref> In 2019, Australia gifted a [[Guardian-class patrol boat]] as replacement.<ref name=defence2019-04-07/> Named [[HMTSS Te Mataili II (802)|HMTSS ''Te Mataili II'']], it is meant for use in maritime surveillance, [[fishery]] patrol and for search-and-rescue missions.<ref name=NavalToday2019-04-06/> ("HMTSS" stands for ''His/Her Majesty's Tuvaluan State Ship'' or for ''His/Her Majesty's Tuvalu Surveillance Ship''.) ''Te Mataili II'' was severely damaged by cyclones.<ref name="DFA23-5A">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Tuvalu joins forces with Sea Shepherd Global to Combat Ilegal Fishing in Pacific Waters |work= Department of Foreign Affairs – Government of Tuvalu|page= |date=10 May 2023 |url=https://dfa.gov.tv/index.php/2023/05/10/tuvalu-joins-forces-with-sea-shepherd-global-to-combat-ilegal-fishing-in-pacific-waters/ |access-date=25 November 2023 |archive-date=25 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125004217/https://dfa.gov.tv/index.php/2023/05/10/tuvalu-joins-forces-with-sea-shepherd-global-to-combat-ilegal-fishing-in-pacific-waters/ |url-status=live}}</ref> On 16 October 2024 Australia handed over a Guardian-class patrol boat to Tuvalu, which was named HMTSS ''Te Mataili III''.<ref>{{cite web| first= Rojoef |last= Manuel|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-11/macrae-tuvalu-in-a-fight-for-its-life/3497128|title= Australia Transfers Guardian Patrol Boat to Tuvalu| date =22 October 2024|publisher=The Defence Post |access-date= 23 October 2024}}</ref>

In May 2023 the Government of Tuvalu signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sea Shepherd Global, which is based in the Netherlands, to combat [[Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing|illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing]] in Tuvalu's [[Exclusive Economic Zone]] (EEZ).<ref name="DFA23-5A"/> Sea Shepherd Global will provide the ''Allankay'', a {{convert|54.6|m|ft}} motor vessel, to support Tuvalu's law enforcement activities.<ref name="DFA23-5A"/> ''Allankay'' will accommodate officers from the [[Law enforcement in Tuvalu|Tuvalu Police Force]], who have the authority to board, inspect, and arrest fishing vessels engaged in IUU activity in Tuvalu's EEZ.<ref name="DFA23-5A"/>

[[LGBT rights in Tuvalu|Male homosexuality]] is illegal in Tuvalu.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cooks bill puts spotlight on Pacific's anti-gay laws |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/337461/cooks-bill-puts-spotlight-on-pacific-s-anti-gay-laws |work=[[RNZ News]] |date=21 August 2017 |access-date=31 July 2019 |archive-date=15 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615163311/https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/337461/cooks-bill-puts-spotlight-on-pacific-s-anti-gay-laws |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Crime in Tuvalu]] is not a significant social problem due to an effective criminal justice system, also due to the influence of the ''[[Falekaupule]]'' (the traditional assembly of elders of each island) and the central role of [[Religion in Tuvalu|religious institutions]] in the Tuvaluan community.

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Islands of Tuvalu}}
[[File:Tv-map.png|thumb|upright=1.15|A map of Tuvalu]]

Tuvalu consists of six [[atoll]]s and three [[reef]] islands, each constituting a district of the country. The smallest, Niulakita, is administered as part of Niutao. The districts, their island counts, and their populations as of the 2022 census are as follows:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! District
! Islets
! Population
|-
| [[Funafuti]]
| 6
| 6,602
|-
| [[Nanumanga]]
| 1
| 391
|-
| [[Nanumea]]
| 9
| 610
|-
| [[Niulakita]]
| 1
| 36
|-
| [[Niutao]]
| 1
| 550
|-
| [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]]
| 21
| 514
|-
| [[Nukufetau]]
| 33
| 581
|-
| [[Nukulaelae]]
| 15
| 341
|-
| [[Vaitupu]]
| 9
| 1,007
|}

Each island has its own high-chief ([[ulu-aliki]]), several sub-chiefs ([[Ariki|aliki]]s), and a community council ([[Falekaupule]]). The ''Falekaupule'', also known as ''te sina o fenua'' (grey-hairs of the land), is the traditional assembly of elders.

The ulu-aliki and aliki exercise informal authority at the local level, with the former chosen on the basis of ancestry. Since the passage of the Falekaupule Act in 1997,<ref name="pacliiF">{{cite web |work=PACLII |title=Falekaupule Act (1997) |url=http://www.paclii.org/tv/legis/consol_act_2008/fa121/ |access-date=6 April 2014 |archive-date=30 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030232202/http://www.paclii.org/tv/legis/consol_act_2008/fa121/ |url-status=live}}</ref> the powers and functions of the ''Falekaupule'' are shared with the ''pule o kaupule'', a village president elected on each atoll.<ref name="Bennetts">{{cite book |author1=Bennetts, Peter |author2=Wheeler, Tony |title=Time & Tide: The Islands of Tuvalu |year=2001 |isbn=1-86450-342-4 |publisher=Lonely Planet}}</ref>

Tuvalu has [[ISO 3166-2:TV|ISO 3166-2 codes]] defined for one town council (Funafuti) and seven island councils. Niulakita, which now has its own island council, is not listed, as it is administered as part of Niutao.

==Society==
===Demographics===
{{Main|Demographics of Tuvalu}}
{{see also|Women in Tuvalu}}

[[File:Population Distribution of Tuvalu by Age Group (2014).png|thumb|Population distribution of Tuvalu by age group (2014)]]

The population at the 2002 census was 9,561,<ref name=CSD>{{cite web |url=http://tuvalu.prism.spc.int/index.php/census-and-surveys |title=Census of Population and Housing and sample Surveys |year=2006 |publisher=Central Statistics Division – Government of Tuvalu |access-date=17 October 2011 |archive-date=13 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813003925/https://tuvalu.prism.spc.int/index.php/census-and-surveys |url-status=live}}</ref> and the population at the 2017 census was 10,645.<ref name="1C2012">{{cite web |title=Population of communities in Tuvalu |publisher=world-statistics.org |date=11 April 2012 |url=http://tuvalu.popgis.spc.int/#l=en;i=ethnic.t_tuvaluan;v=map1;sid=39;z=717733,9074628,48863,33709;sly=eas_32760_xy_def_DR |access-date=20 March 2016 |archive-date=23 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323020216/http://tuvalu.popgis.spc.int/#l=en;i=ethnic.t_tuvaluan;v=map1;sid=39;z=717733,9074628,48863,33709;sly=eas_32760_xy_def_DR |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="2C2012">{{cite web |title=Population of communities in Tuvalu |publisher=Thomas Brinkhoff |date=11 April 2012 |url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Tuvalu.html |access-date=20 March 2016 |archive-date=24 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324124836/http://www.citypopulation.de/Tuvalu.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The most recent evaluation in 2020 puts the population at 11,342.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=TV |title=Population, total |website=The World Bank |access-date=21 October 2018 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130152233/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=TV |url-status=live}}</ref> The population of Tuvalu is primarily of [[Polynesians|Polynesian]] ethnicity, with approximately 5.6% of the population being [[Micronesians]] speaking [[Gilbertese language|Gilbertese]], especially on [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]].<ref name="1C2012"/>

Life expectancy for [[women in Tuvalu]] is 70.2 years and 65.6 years for men (2018 est.).<ref name="CIA">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/tuvalu/ |title=The World Factbook (CIA) |date=20 October 2019 |access-date=11 November 2019 |archive-date=12 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112151520/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/tuvalu/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The country's population growth rate is 0.86% (2018 est.).<ref name="CIA"/> The net migration rate is estimated at −6.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.).<ref name="CIA"/> The threat of [[global warming in Tuvalu]] is not yet a dominant motivation for migration as Tuvaluans appear to prefer to continue living on the islands for reasons of lifestyle, culture and identity.<ref name="CMJB">{{cite journal |author1=Colette Mortreux |author2=Jon Barnett |name-list-style=amp |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222409088 |title=Climate change, migration and adaptation in Funafuti, Tuvalu |journal=Global Environmental Change |volume=19 |year=2009 |issue=1 |pages=105–112 |doi=10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.09.006 |bibcode=2009GEC....19..105M |access-date=17 September 2017 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115155358/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222409088 |url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1947 to 1983, a number of Tuvaluans from Vaitupu migrated to [[Kioa]], an island in Fiji.<ref name="LNKFK">{{cite book |last1=Lifuka |first1=Neli |editor-last1=Koch |editor-first1=Klaus-Friedrich |title=Logs in the current of the sea: Neli Lifuka's story of Kioa and the Vaitupu colonists |year=1978 |publisher=Australian National University Press/Press of the Langdon Associates |isbn=0708103626}}</ref> The settlers from Tuvalu were granted Fijian citizenship in 2005. In recent years, New Zealand and Australia have been the primary destinations for migration or seasonal work.

In 2014, attention was drawn to an appeal to the New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal against the deportation of a Tuvaluan family on the basis that they were "[[climate migrant|climate change refugees]]", who would suffer hardship resulting from the [[environmental degradation]] of Tuvalu.<ref name=WP>{{cite news |last=Rick |first=Noack |title=Has the era of the 'climate change refugee' begun? |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=7 August 2014 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/08/07/has-the-era-of-the-climate-change-refugee-begun/ |access-date=11 February 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208193709/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/08/07/has-the-era-of-the-climate-change-refugee-begun/ |url-status=live}}</ref> However, the subsequent grant of residence permits to the family was made on grounds unrelated to the refugee claim.<ref name=PS>{{cite web |last=Rive |first=Vernon |title="Climate refugees" revisited: a closer look at the Tuvalu decision |publisher=Point Source |date=14 August 2014 |url=http://www.vernonrive.com/home/climate-refugees-revisited-a-closer-look-at-the-tuvalu-decision |access-date=2 March 2017 |archive-date=4 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004092203/http://www.vernonrive.com/home/climate-refugees-revisited-a-closer-look-at-the-tuvalu-decision |url-status=usurped}}</ref> The family was successful in their appeal because, under the relevant immigration legislation, there were "exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature" that justified the grant of resident permits, for the family was integrated into New Zealand society with a sizeable extended family that had effectively relocated to New Zealand.<ref name=PS/> Indeed, in 2013 a claim of a [[Kiribati]] man of being a [[Environmental migrant#Asia and the Pacific|"climate change refugee"]] under the [[Convention relating to the Status of Refugees]] (1951) was determined by the New Zealand High Court to be untenable, as there was no persecution or serious harm related to any of the five stipulated Refugee Convention grounds.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.vernonrive.com/home/climate-refugees-revisited-a-closer-look-at-the-tuvalu-decision |title="Climate refugees" revisited: a closer look at the Tuvalu decision |publisher=Point Source |date=14 August 2014 |author=Rive, Vernon |access-date=11 February 2015 |archive-date=4 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004092203/http://www.vernonrive.com/home/climate-refugees-revisited-a-closer-look-at-the-tuvalu-decision |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Permanent migration to Australia and New Zealand, such as for family reunification, requires compliance with the immigration legislation of those countries.<ref name=G17>{{cite web |last=Ben Doherty and Eleanor Ainge Roy |title=World Bank: let climate-threatened Pacific islanders migrate to Australia or NZ |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=8 May 2017 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/08/australia-and-nz-should-allow-open-migration-for-pacific-islanders-threatened-by-climate-says-report |access-date=8 May 2017}}</ref>

New Zealand announced the ''Pacific Access Category'' in 2001, which provided an annual quota of 75 work permits for Tuvaluans.<ref name=PAC>{{cite web |url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-announces-pacific-access-scheme |title=Government announces Pacific access scheme |date=20 December 2001 |publisher=Mark Gosche, Pacific Island Affairs Minister (NZ) |access-date=5 November 2011 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329083848/http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-announces-pacific-access-scheme |url-status=live}}</ref> The applicants register for the Pacific Access Category (PAC) ballots; the primary criterion is that the principal applicant must have a job offer from a New Zealand employer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/pacific-access-category-resident-visa |title=Pacific Access Category |date=20 December 2001 |publisher=Immigration New Zealand |access-date=5 November 2011 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329084027/https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/visas/visa/pacific-access-category-resident-visa |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvaluans also have access to seasonal employment in the horticulture and viticulture industries in New Zealand under the ''Recognised Seasonal Employer'' (RSE) Work Policy introduced in 2007 allowing for employment of up to 5,000 workers from Tuvalu and other Pacific islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/program/dwcp/download/tuvalu.pdf |title=Tuvalu – Decent work country program |date=11 May 2010 |publisher=International Labour Organization |access-date=5 November 2011 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329084217/http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/how-the-ilo-works/organigramme/program/lang--en/index.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvaluans can participate in the Australian ''Pacific Seasonal Worker Program'', which allows Pacific Islanders to obtain seasonal employment in the Australian agriculture industry, in particular, cotton and cane operations; fishing industry, in particular aquaculture; and with accommodation providers in the tourism industry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deewr.gov.au/Employment/Programs/seasonalworker/Pages/default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815092456/http://www.deewr.gov.au/Employment/Programs/seasonalworker/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=15 August 2012 |title=The Seasonal Worker Program |date=1 July 2012 |publisher=Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (Australia) |access-date=9 September 2012}}</ref>

On 10 November 2023, Tuvalu signed the Falepili Union, a [[Australia–Tuvalu relations|bilateral diplomatic relationship with Australia]], under which Australia will provide a pathway for citizens of Tuvalu to migrate to Australia, to enable [[Climate migration|climate-related mobility]] for Tuvaluans.<ref name=FalepiliTreaty1/><ref name="AUTFU1"/>

===Languages===
{{Main|Tuvaluan language}}

The [[Tuvaluan language]] and English are the national languages of Tuvalu. Tuvaluan is of the Ellicean group of [[Polynesian languages]], distantly related to all other Polynesian languages such as [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]], [[Māori language|Māori]], [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]], [[Rapa Nui language|Rapa Nui]], [[Samoan language|Samoan]] and [[Tongan language|Tongan]].<ref name="Tuvaluan Te 'gana Tūvalu"/> It is most closely related to the languages spoken on the [[Polynesian outlier]]s in Micronesia and northern and central [[Melanesia]]. The Tuvaluan language has borrowed from the Samoan language, as a consequence of Christian missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries being predominantly Samoan.<ref name="MD"/><ref name="Tuvaluan Te 'gana Tūvalu"/>

The [[Tuvaluan language]] is spoken by virtually everyone, while a [[Micronesian languages|Micronesian]] language very similar to [[Gilbertese language|Gilbertese]] is spoken on [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]].<ref name="Tuvaluan Te 'gana Tūvalu">{{cite web |url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tuvaluan.htm |title=Tuvaluan (Te 'gana Tūvalu) |publisher=Omniglot |access-date=6 November 2012 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329084405/https://www.omniglot.com/writing/tuvaluan.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/country/TV/languages%7ctitle=Tuvalu%7cwork=Ethnologue |title=Tuvalu |work=Ethnologue |access-date=10 December 2015 |archive-date=6 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506145534/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/TV/languages%7Ctitle=Tuvalu%7Cwork=Ethnologue |url-status=live}}</ref> English is also an official language but is not spoken in daily use. Parliament and official functions are conducted in the Tuvaluan language.

There are about 13,000 Tuvaluan speakers worldwide.<ref>Besnier, Niko (2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=rhjgLnIMeawC ''Tuvaluan: A Polynesian Language of the Central Pacific''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427121540/https://books.google.com/books?id=rhjgLnIMeawC |date=27 April 2023 }}. London: Routledge, {{ISBN|0-203-02712-4}}.</ref><ref>Jackson, Geoff and Jackson, Jenny (1999). [https://books.google.com/books?id=0T6FBzA4pvUC ''An introduction to Tuvaluan''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411075302/https://books.google.com/books?id=0T6FBzA4pvUC |date=11 April 2023 }}. Suva: Oceania Printers, {{ISBN|982-9027-02-3}}.</ref> [[Tuvalu Media Corporation|Radio Tuvalu]] transmits Tuvaluan-language programming.<ref name="NBP">{{cite book |last=Robie |first=David |title=Nius Bilong Pasifik: Mass Media in the Pacific |year=1995 |publisher=University of Papua New Guinea Press |isbn=9980840528}}</ref><ref name="LRD">{{cite web |author1=Lee Duffield, Amanda Watson |author2=Mark Hayes |name-list-style=amp |work=Queensland University of Technology |title=Media and Communication Capacities in the Pacific region |date=2008 |url=http://eprints.qut.edu.au/13322/1/13322.pdf |access-date=5 January 2015 |archive-date=13 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313103141/http://eprints.qut.edu.au/13322/1/13322.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="pacmas2">{{cite web |last1=Tacchi |first1=Jo |last2=Horst |first2=Heather |last3=Papoutsaki |first3=Evangelia |last4=Thomas |first4=Verena |last5=Eggins |first5=Joy |work=Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) |title=State of Media & Communication Report – Tuvalu |date=6 October 2013 |url=http://www.pacmas.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/06.-PACMAS_Tuvalu-Country-Report_FINAL.pdf |access-date=5 January 2015 |archive-date=12 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812125238/http://www.pacmas.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/06.-PACMAS_Tuvalu-Country-Report_FINAL.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Tuvalu}}

[[File:Fetu Ao Lima (Morning Star Church), Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu.jpg|thumb|Fetu Ao Lima (Morning Star Church), Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu]]

The [[Church of Tuvalu|Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu]], which is part of the [[Calvinist]] tradition, is the [[state church]] of Tuvalu;<ref name="Tuvalu">{{cite web |url=http://religiousfreedom.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=190&Itemid=56%7ctitle=Tuvalu%7cpublisher= |title=Tuvalu |publisher=religiousfreedom.com |access-date=10 December 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200135/http://religiousfreedom.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=190&Itemid=56%7Ctitle=Tuvalu%7Cpublisher= |url-status=dead}}</ref> although in practice this merely entitles it to "the privilege of performing special services on major national events".<ref name="usdos">{{cite web |work=United States Department of State |title=2010 Report on International Religious Freedom – Tuvalu |date=17 November 2010 |url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/4cf2d05cc.html |access-date=22 December 2015 |archive-date=26 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926055922/http://www.refworld.org/docid/4cf2d05cc.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Its adherents comprise about 86% of the 10,632 (2022 census) inhabitants of the [[archipelago]].<ref name="Tuvalu"/><ref name="2022 religion"/> The [[Constitution of Tuvalu]] guarantees freedom of religion, including the freedom to practice, the freedom to change religion, the right not to receive religious instruction at school or to attend religious ceremonies at school, and the right not to "take an oath or make an affirmation that is contrary to his religion or belief".<ref>Constitution of Tuvalu, article 23.</ref>

Other Christian groups include the [[Catholic]] community served by the [[Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti]] (1%), and the [[Seventh-day Adventist]] which has 2% of the population.<ref name="2022 religion"/> The Tuvalu Brethren Church has 3% of the population.<ref name="2022 religion"/>

The [[Baháʼí Faith]] is the largest minority religion and the largest non-Christian religion in Tuvalu. It constitutes 1% of the population.<ref name="2022 religion"/> The Baháʼís are present on Nanumea,<ref name="state.gov">{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2007/90157.htm |title=Tuvalu |access-date=3 December 2019 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329084827/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2007/90157.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> and Funafuti.<ref name="G23-6">{{cite web |last=Fainu |first=Kalolaine |title=Dancing, feasts and faith mark life on a vanishing island – Tuvalu photo essay |work=[[The Guardian]] |page= |date=27 June 2023 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/27/dancing-feasts-and-faith-mark-life-on-a-vanishing-island-tuvalu-photo-essay |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref> The [[Ahmadiyya Muslim Community]] consists of about 50 members (0.4% of the population).<ref>{{cite book |title=Religious Diversity in Southeast Asia and the Pacific |url=https://archive.org/details/religiousdiversi00boum |url-access=limited |author1=Gary D. Bouma |author2=Rodney Ling |author3=Douglas Pratt |page=[https://archive.org/details/religiousdiversi00boum/page/n197 198] |date=2010}}</ref>

The introduction of Christianity ended the worship of ancestral spirits and other deities ([[animism]]),<ref name="CHrel">[[#Hedley|Hedley]], pp. 46–52</ref> along with the power of the ''vaka-atua'' (the priests of the old religions).<ref name="Sollas">{{cite journal |author=W. J. Sollas |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/055353a0.pdf |title=The Legendary History of Funafuti |journal=Nature |volume=55 |date=11 February 1897 |pages=353–355 |doi=10.1038/055353a0 |s2cid=4056485 |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704055826/https://www.nature.com/articles/055353a0.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Laumua Kofe describes the objects of worship as varying from island to island, although ancestor worship was described by the Rev. Samuel James Whitmee in 1870 as being common practice.<ref>Kofe, Laumua "Old Time Religion" in ''Tuvalu: A History''</ref>

===Health===
{{main|Health in Tuvalu}}

The [[Princess Margaret Hospital (Funafuti)|Princess Margaret Hospital]] on Funafuti is the only hospital in Tuvalu and the primary provider of medical services.

Since the late 20th century, the biggest health problems in Tuvalu have been obesity-related. The leading cause of death has been [[heart disease]],<ref name="Saga">{{cite web |title=2007 University Student Exchange Programme- Fiji and Tuvalu |publisher=Saga University-Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) |date=9–25 March 2008 |url=http://www.accu.or.jp/jp/activity/person/data/2007_SagaUniversity.pdf |access-date=16 March 2013 |archive-date=23 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223185854/http://www.accu.or.jp/jp/activity/person/data/2007_SagaUniversity.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> which is closely followed by [[diabetes]]<ref name="LZW">{{cite web |last=Lawrence Zdenek Walker |title=Elective Report April–May 2012 |url=http://assets.electives.smd.qmul.ac.uk/library/original/pdf/8/walker-lawrence.033b0a1ad714b63675867b49dc4f3712.1347538338.pdf |access-date=16 March 2013 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030253/http://assets.electives.smd.qmul.ac.uk/library/original/pdf/8/walker-lawrence.033b0a1ad714b63675867b49dc4f3712.1347538338.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[high blood pressure]].<ref name="Saga"/> In 2016 the majority of deaths resulted from cardiac diseases, with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, and cerebral-vascular disease among the other causes of death.<ref name="AIDS16">{{cite web |title=Global AIDS Progress Report of Tuvalu |publisher=Ministry of Health Tuvalu |year=2016 |url=http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/country/documents/TUV_narrative_report_2016.pdf |access-date=29 November 2017 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329085041/https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/country/documents/TUV_narrative_report_2016.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Education===
[[File:Children of Niutao Island.JPG|thumb|Children on [[Niutao]]]]

[[History of Tuvalu#Education in Tuvalu|Education in Tuvalu]] is free and [[Compulsory education|compulsory]] between the ages of 6 and 15 years. Each island has a primary school. [[Motufoua Secondary School]] is located on [[Vaitupu]].<ref name="mapia">{{cite web |title=Motufoua Secondary School |url=http://wikimapia.org/4492759/Motufoua-Secondary-School |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=21 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321134130/http://wikimapia.org/4492759/Motufoua-Secondary-School |url-status=live}}</ref> Students board at the school during the school term, returning to their home islands each school vacation. [[Fetuvalu Secondary School]], a day school operated by the [[Church of Tuvalu]], is on Funafuti.<ref name="FHS">{{cite web |title=Fetuvalu High School (Funafuti) |url=http://wikimapia.org/10435819/Fetuvalu-High-School |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=27 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927210334/http://wikimapia.org/10435819/Fetuvalu-High-School |url-status=live}}</ref>

Fetuvalu offers the [[International General Certificate of Secondary Education|Cambridge syllabus]]. Motufoua offers the Fiji Junior Certificate (FJC) at year 10, Tuvaluan Certificate at Year 11 and the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC) at Year 12, which is set by SPBEA, the [[Fiji]]-based [[exam board]].<ref name="SPBEA">{{cite web |title=Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC), Secretariat of the Pacific Board for Educational Assessment |publisher=Spantran |url=https://www.spantran.com/academic-evaluation-services/change-in-south-pacific-secondary-examinations/ |access-date=6 January 2018 |archive-date=4 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004062525/https://www.spantran.com/academic-evaluation-services/change-in-south-pacific-secondary-examinations/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Sixth form students who pass their PSSC go on to the Augmented Foundation Programme, funded by the Tuvalu government. This program is required for tertiary education programmes outside of Tuvalu and is available at the [[University of the South Pacific]] (USP) Extension Centre in Funafuti.<ref name="USPt1">{{cite web |work=Welcome to the Tuvalu Campus |title=University of the South Pacific – Tuvalu Campus |year=2019 |url=https://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=3666 |access-date=28 August 2019 |archive-date=25 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425224152/https://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=3666 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Required attendance at school is 10 years for males and 11 years for females (2001).<ref name="CIA"/> The adult [[literacy rate]] is 99.0% (2002).<ref name="IMF 2010"/> In 2010, there were 1,918 students who were taught by 109 teachers (98 certified and 11 uncertified). The teacher-pupil ratio for primary schools in Tuvalu is around 1:18 for all schools with the exception of Nauti School, which has a ratio of 1:27. Nauti School on Funafuti is the largest primary school in Tuvalu with more than 900 students (45 per cent of the total primary school enrolment). The pupil-teacher ratio for Tuvalu is low compared to the entire Pacific region (ratio of 1:29).<ref name="MDG">{{cite web |work=Ministry of Education and Sports, and Ministry of Finance and Economic Development from the Government of Tuvalu; and the United Nations System in the Pacific Islands |title=Tuvalu: Millennium Development Goal Acceleration Framework – Improving Quality of Education |date=April 2013 |url=http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/MDG/MDG%20Acceleration%20Framework/MAF%20Reports/RBAP/MAF%20Tuvalu-FINAL-%20April%204.pdf |access-date=13 October 2013 |archive-date=13 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213133607/http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/MDG/MDG%20Acceleration%20Framework/MAF%20Reports/RBAP/MAF%20Tuvalu-FINAL-%20April%204.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Community Training Centres (CTCs) have been established within the primary schools on each atoll. They provide [[vocational training]] to students who do not progress beyond Class 8 because they failed the entry qualifications for secondary education. The CTCs offer training in basic carpentry, gardening and farming, [[sewing]] and cooking. At the end of their studies the graduates can apply to continue studies either at Motufoua Secondary School or the [[Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute]] (TMTI). Adults can also attend courses at the CTCs.<ref name="SB">{{cite web |author1=Bakalevu, Salanieta |author2=Manuella, David |name-list-style=amp |title=Open Schooling as a Strategy for Second-chance Education in the Pacific: A desk study report |pages=96–100 |date=June 2011 |publisher=Commonwealth of Learning (COL) / University of the South Pacific |url=http://www.col.org/resources/open-schooling-strategy-second-chance-education-pacific-desk-study-report |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=2 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302080631/http://www.col.org/resources/open-schooling-strategy-second-chance-education-pacific-desk-study-report |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Four tertiary institutions offer technical and vocational courses: [[Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute]] (TMTI), [[Tuvalu Atoll Science Technology Training Institute]] (TASTII), Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) and [[University of the South Pacific]] (USP) Extension Centre.<ref name="USP2020-7">{{cite web |url=https://www.usp.ac.fj/news/story.php?id=3268 |title=Tuvalu Theory of Change Coalition Consultation |publisher=The University of the South Pacific |date=6 July 2020 |access-date=10 January 2021 |archive-date=11 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111230331/https://www.usp.ac.fj/news/story.php?id=3268 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Tuvaluan Employment Ordinance of 1966 sets the [[minimum age]] for paid employment at 14 years and prohibits children under the age of 15 from performing hazardous work.<ref name=ilab>[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/map/countries/tuvalu.htm "Tuvalu"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017213157/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/map/countries/tuvalu.htm |date=17 October 2011}}. ''2009 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor''. [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], [[U.S. Department of Labor]] (2002). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.</ref>

==Culture==
{{see also|Tuvaluan mythology}}

===Architecture===
The traditional buildings of Tuvalu used plants and trees from the native broadleaf forest,<ref name="CHF1">[[#Hedley|Hedley]], pp. 40–41</ref> including timber from ''pouka'' (''[[Hernandia]] peltata''); ''ngia'' or ''ingia'' bush (''[[Pemphis]] acidula''); ''miro'' (''[[Thespesia populnea]]''); ''Tonga'' (''[[Rhizophora mucronata]]''); ''fau'' or ''fo fafini'', or woman's fibre tree (''[[Hibiscus tiliaceus]]'').<ref name="CHF1"/> Fibre is from [[coconut]]; ''ferra'', native fig (''[[Ficus]] aspem''); ''fala'', screw pine or ''[[Pandanus]]''.<ref name="CHF1"/> The buildings were constructed without nails, lashed together with plaited [[sennit]] rope handmade from dried coconut fibre.<ref name="MG">{{cite book |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Michael. |title=Transformations of the Meeting-House in Tuvalu |year=1985 |publisher=Antony Hooper and Judith Huntsman, eds., ‘Transformations of Polynesian Culture’ Polynesian Society}}</ref>

Following contact with Europeans, iron products were used including nails and corrugated roofing material. Modern buildings in Tuvalu are constructed from imported building materials, including imported timber and concrete.<ref name="MG"/>

[[File:Interior of a maneapa in Funafuti, Tuvalu.jpg|thumb|Interior of a maneapa on Funafuti, Tuvalu]]
Church and community buildings ([[Maneaba|''maneapa'']]) are usually coated with white paint that is known as ''lase'', which is made by burning a large amount of dead coral with firewood. The whitish powder that is the result is mixed with water and painted on the buildings.<ref name="TP">{{cite web |last=Panapa |first=Tufoua |title=Ethnographic Research on Meanings and Practices of Health in Tuvalu: A Community Report |publisher=Report to the Tuvaluan Ministries of Health and Education: Ph D Candidate Centre for Development Studies – "Transnational Pacific Health through the Lens of Tuberculosis" Research Group. Department of Anthropology, The University of Auckland, N.Z. |pages=39–41 |year=2012 |url=http://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/arts/Departments/anthropology/documents-publications/Tufoua%20Ethnographic%20Research%20on%20Meanings%20and%20Practices%20of%20Health%20in%20Tuvalu%20final.pdf |access-date=6 January 2018 |archive-date=4 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204014558/https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/arts/Departments/anthropology/documents-publications/Tufoua%20Ethnographic%20Research%20on%20Meanings%20and%20Practices%20of%20Health%20in%20Tuvalu%20final.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Art===
{{Main|Art of Tuvalu}}

The women of Tuvalu use [[cowrie]] and other shells in traditional [[handicrafts]].<ref name="ATP"/> The artistic traditions of Tuvalu have traditionally been expressed in the design of clothing and traditional handicrafts such as the decoration of [[mat]]s and [[Fan (machine)|fan]]s.<ref name="ATP">{{cite web |last=Tiraa-Passfield |first=Anna |title=The uses of shells in traditional Tuvaluan handicrafts |publisher=SPC Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin No. 7 |date=September 1996 |url=http://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/InfoBull/TRAD/7/TRAD7_02_Tiraa.pdf |access-date=8 February 2014 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222023428/http://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/InfoBull/TRAD/7/TRAD7_02_Tiraa.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Crochet]] (''kolose'') is one of the art forms practised by Tuvaluan women.<ref name="UNDP1">{{cite web |work=aucklandcouncil. |title=Kolose: The art of Tuvalu crochet |date=March 2015 |url=http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/newseventsculture/Arts/artscentretheatresgalleries/Documents/kolosecatalogue.pdf |access-date=12 July 2015 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923180236/http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/newseventsculture/Arts/artscentretheatresgalleries/Documents/kolosecatalogue.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The design of women's skirts (''titi''), tops (''teuga saka''), [[headband]]s, [[armband]]s, and [[wristband]]s, which continue to be used in performances of the traditional dance songs of Tuvalu, represents contemporary Tuvaluan art and design.<ref name="TPwa">{{cite web |last=Mallon |first=Sean |title=Wearable art: Tuvalu style |publisher=Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) blog |date=2 October 2013 |url=http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2013/10/02/wearable-art-tuvalu-style/ |access-date=10 April 2014 |archive-date=14 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114192800/http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2013/10/02/wearable-art-tuvalu-style/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[material culture]] of Tuvalu uses traditional design elements in artefacts used in everyday life such as the design of [[canoe]]s and [[fish hook]]s made from traditional materials.<ref name="K1931">{{cite book |last1=Kennedy |first1=Donald |title=The Ellice Islands Canoe |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Memoirs_%28Additional%29/No._9%3A_Field_Notes_on_the_Culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_D._G._Kennedy/The_Ellice_Islands_Canoe%2C_p_71-100/p1 |year=1931 |publisher=Journal of the Polynesian Society, Memoir no. 9 |pages=71–100 |access-date=19 April 2019 |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006034408/https://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Memoirs_%28Additional%29/No._9%3A_Field_Notes_on_the_Culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_D._G._Kennedy/The_Ellice_Islands_Canoe%2C_p_71-100/p1 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="GKTGS1">{{cite book |last1=Gerd Koch (translated by Guy Slater) |title=The Material Culture of Tuvalu |year=1981 |publisher=University of the South Pacific |location=Suva |id=ASIN B0000EE805}}</ref>

In 2015, an exhibition was held on Funafuti of the art of Tuvalu, with works that addressed [[climate change]] through the eyes of artists and the display of ''Kope ote olaga'' (possessions of life), a display of the various artefacts of Tuvalu culture.<ref name="AoT">{{cite web |last=Takemoto |first=Shoko |title=The Art of Tuvalu – Climate Change through the eyes of artists in Tuvalu |publisher=exposure.co |date=4 November 2015 |url=https://shoko.exposure.co/the-art-of-tuvalu |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223080848/https://shoko.exposure.co/the-art-of-tuvalu |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Dance and music===
{{Main|Music of Tuvalu}}

[[File:Dancer, Tuvalu stage, 2011 Pasifika festival.jpg|thumb|upright|A Tuvaluan dancer at Auckland's [[Pasifika Festival]]]]

The traditional music of Tuvalu consists of a number of dances, including ''[[fakaseasea]]'', ''[[fakanau]]'' and ''[[fatele]]''.<ref name="RG">{{cite book |last1=Linkels |first1=Ad |title=The Real Music of Paradise |year=2000 |publisher=Rough Guides, Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.) |isbn=1-85828-636-0 |page=221}}</ref> The ''fatele'', in its modern form, is performed at community events and to celebrate leaders and other prominent individuals, such as the visit of the [[Duke of Cambridge|Duke]] and [[Duchess of Cambridge]] in September 2012.<ref name="CJH">{{cite web |last=Capt. John Hensford, with photos by Tony Prcevich |title=The Royal Visit to Tuvalu – September 2012 – The Inside Story |year=2012 |url=http://ktaweb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Royal_Visit_Tuvalu.pdf |access-date=6 January 2016 |archive-date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308212545/http://ktaweb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Royal_Visit_Tuvalu.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="VM">{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/william-and-kate-tour-2012-duke-1329728 |work=Mirror Online Edition |title=Game of thrones: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge play king and queen before dancing the night away in Tuvalu |access-date=21 October 2012 |location=London |first=Victoria |last=Murphy |date=18 September 2012 |archive-date=21 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021205248/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/william-and-kate-tour-2012-duke-1329728 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Tuvaluan style can be described "as a musical microcosm of Polynesia, where contemporary and older styles co-exist".<ref name="RG"/>

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Cuisine of Tuvalu}}
The [[cuisine of Tuvalu]] is based on the [[Staple food|staple]] of [[coconut]] and the many species of fish found in the ocean and lagoons of the atolls. Desserts made on the islands include coconut and [[coconut milk]], rather than animal milk. The traditional foods eaten in Tuvalu are [[pulaka]], [[taro]], bananas, [[breadfruit]]<ref>Morris, Rachel, "To the Lifeboats," in ''Mother Jones,'' November/December 2009</ref> and coconut.<ref name="CHC">[[#Hedley|Hedley]], pp. 60–63</ref> Tuvaluans also eat seafood, including [[coconut crab]] and fish from the lagoon and ocean.<ref name="FRFSP" /> Another traditional food source is [[seabird]]s (''taketake'' or [[black noddy]] and ''akiaki'' or [[white tern]]), with pork being eaten mostly at ''fateles'' (or parties with dancing to celebrate events).<ref name="Bennetts"/>

Pulaka is the main source for [[carbohydrate]]s. Seafood provides [[protein]]. Bananas and breadfruit are supplemental crops. Coconut is used for its juice, to make other beverages (such as [[Palm wine|toddy]]) and to improve the taste of some dishes.<ref name="Bennetts"/>

A 1560-square-metre pond was built in 1996 on Vaitupu to sustain [[aquaculture in Tuvalu]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profile: Tuvalu |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/countrysector/FI-CP_TV/en |access-date=2 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326031726/http://www.fao.org/fishery/countrysector/FI-CP_TV/en |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref>

[[Flying fish]] are also caught as a source of food;<ref name="CH-GA">{{cite journal |ref=Hedley |last1=Hedley |first1=Charles |title=General account of the Atoll of Funafuti |url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |year=1896 |journal=Australian Museum Memoir |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=1–72 at 65 |doi=10.3853/j.0067-1967.3.1896.487 |access-date=28 September 2013 |archive-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015112253/http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="PIM34-9">{{cite web |last= |first= |work=V(2) Pacific Islands Monthly |title=Life on Nanomanga |date=21 September 1934 |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-311547727/view?partId=nla.obj-311551615#page/n26/mode/1up |access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="IGT">{{cite journal |author1=Turbott, I. G. |title=Fishing for Flying-Fish in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20703275 |date=December 1950 |volume=59 |issue=4 |journal=The Journal of the Polynesian Society |pages=349–367 |jstor=20703275 |access-date=7 April 2024 |archive-date=7 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407031033/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20703275 |url-status=live}}</ref> and as an exciting activity, using a boat, a [[butterfly net]] and a spotlight to attract the flying fish.<ref name="Bennetts"/>

===Heritage===
The traditional community system still survives to a large extent on Tuvalu. Each family has its own task, or ''salanga'', to perform for the community, such as fishing, [[house building]] or defence. The skills of a family are passed on from parents to children.

Most islands have their own ''fusi'', community-owned shops similar to convenience stores, where [[canned food]]s and bags of rice can be purchased. Goods are cheaper, and fusis give better prices for their own produce.<ref name="Bennetts"/>

Another important building is the ''falekaupule'' or [[Maneaba|''maneapa'']], the traditional island [[meeting hall]],<ref name=TKII>{{cite web |url=http://www.sprep.org/att/IRC/eCOPIES/Countries/Tuvalu/42.pdf |title=Te Kakeega II – National Strategies for Sustainable Development 2005–2015 |year=2005 |publisher=Government of Tuvalu |access-date=14 October 2011 |archive-date=17 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117232847/http://www.sprep.org/att/IRC/eCOPIES/Countries/Tuvalu/42.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> where important matters are discussed and which is also used for wedding celebrations and community activities such as a ''[[fatele]]'' involving music, singing and dancing.<ref name="Bennetts"/> ''[[Falekaupule]]'' is also used as the name of the council of elders – the traditional decision-making body on each island. Under the Falekaupule Act, ''Falekaupule'' means "traditional assembly in each island&nbsp;... composed in accordance with the Aganu of each island". ''Aganu'' means traditional customs and culture.<ref name=TKII/>

Historical records are held by the [[Tuvalu National Library and Archives]]. The creation of a Tuvalu National Cultural Centre and Museum was discussed in the government's strategic plan for 2018–24.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tuvalu national culture policy strategic plan, 2018–2024 |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265528 |access-date=15 April 2021 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bennoune |first=Karima |date=24 September 2019 |title=Preliminary findings and observations on visit to Tuvalu by UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights |url=https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25035&LangID=E}}</ref>

===Traditional single-outrigger canoe===
[[File:Canoe carving on Nanumea.jpg|thumb|upright|Canoe carving on Nanumea]]
[[Paopao (canoe)|''Paopao'']] (from the [[Samoan language]], meaning a small fishing-canoe made from a single log), is the traditional single-[[outrigger canoe]] of Tuvalu, of which the largest could carry four to six adults. The variations of single-outrigger canoes that had been developed on Vaitupu and Nanumea were reef-type or paddled canoes; that is, they were designed for carrying over the reef and being paddled, rather than being sailed.<ref name="K1931"/> Outrigger canoes from [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]] were constructed with an indirect type of outrigger attachment and the hull is double-ended, with no distinct bow and stern. These canoes were designed to be sailed over the Nui lagoon.<ref name="PM">{{cite journal |author=McQuarrie, Peter |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_85_1976/Volume_85%2C_No._4/Nui_Island_sailing_canoes%2C_by_Peter_McQuarrie%2C_p_543-548/p1?page=0&action=searchresult&target= |title=Nui Island sailing canoes |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |volume=85 |issue=4 |year=1976 |pages=543–548 |archive-date=13 August 2022 |access-date=19 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813162429/https://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_85_1976/Volume_85%2C_No._4/Nui_Island_sailing_canoes%2C_by_Peter_McQuarrie%2C_p_543-548/p1?page=0&action=searchresult&target= |url-status=dead }}</ref> The booms of the outrigger are longer than those found in other designs of canoes from the other islands. This made the Nui canoe more stable when used with a sail than the other designs.<ref name="PM"/>

==Sport and leisure==
{{Main|Sport in Tuvalu}}
{{See also|Tuvaluan records in athletics|Tuvalu at the Pacific Games|Tuvalu at the Commonwealth Games|Tuvalu at the World Championships in Athletics|Tuvalu at the Olympics}}
A traditional sport played in Tuvalu is ''[[kilikiti]]'',<ref>Squires, Nick (20 March 2006). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/tuvalu/1513517/South-Seas-war-club-cricketers-take-a-beating-from-football.html "South Seas war club cricketers take a beating from football"] – ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]''. Retrieved 21 September 2015.</ref> which is similar to [[cricket]].<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |first=Tony |last=Squires |title=Testing time for tiny Tuvalu |date=1 April 2012 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4864748.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=31 October 2012}}</ref> A popular sport specific to Tuvalu is ''[[Te ano]]'' (The ball), which is played with two round balls of {{convert|12|cm|0|abbr=on}} diameter.<ref name="Bennetts"/> ''Te ano'' is a traditional game that is similar to [[volleyball]], in which the two hard balls made from [[pandanus]] leaves are volleyed at great speed with the team members trying to stop the ball hitting the ground.<ref name="TP12">{{cite web |last=Panapa |first=Tufoua |title=Ethnographic Research on Meanings and Practices of Health in Tuvalu: A Community Report |publisher=Report to the Tuvaluan Ministries of Health and Education: Ph D Candidate Centre for Development Studies – "Transnational Pacific Health through the Lens of Tuberculosis" Research Group. Department of Anthropology, The University of Auckland, N.Z. |page=19, footnote 4 |year=2012 |url=https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/arts/Departments/anthropology/documents-publications/Tufoua%20Ethnographic%20Research%20on%20Meanings%20and%20Practices%20of%20Health%20in%20Tuvalu%20final.pdf |access-date=6 January 2018}}</ref> Traditional sports in the late 19th century were foot racing, [[lance]] throwing, [[quarterstaff]] fencing and [[Folk wrestling|wrestling]], although the Christian missionaries disapproved of these activities.<ref name="CHS">[[#Hedley|Hedley]], p. 56</ref>

The popular sports in Tuvalu include ''kilikiti'', ''Te ano'', association football, [[futsal]], volleyball, [[handball]], [[basketball]] and [[rugby sevens]]. Tuvalu has sports organisations for [[Tuvalu Athletics Association|athletics]], badminton, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, [[Tuvalu Islands Football Association|football]], [[Basketball in Tuvalu|basketball]], [[Tuvalu Rugby Union|rugby union]], [[Tuvalu Weightlifting Federation|weightlifting]] and [[Tuvalu Powerlifting Federation|powerlifting]]. At the [[2013 Pacific Mini Games]], [[Tuau Lapua Lapua]] won Tuvalu's first gold medal in an international competition in the weightlifting 62 kilogram male [[Snatch (weightlifting)|snatch]]. (He also won bronze in the [[clean and jerk]], and obtained the silver medal overall for the combined event.)<ref name="RNZI030913">{{cite web |work=Radio New Zealand International |title=Sport: Tuvalu make history at Mini Games |date=3 September 2013 |url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=78826 |access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref> In 2015, [[Telupe Iosefa]] received the first gold medal won by Tuvalu at the [[Tuvalu at the 2015 Pacific Games|Pacific Games]] in the powerlifting 120&nbsp;kg male division.<ref name="IG1">{{cite web |last=Morgan |first=Liam |work=Pacific Games 2015 |title=Tuvalu claim first-ever Pacific Games gold medal as Samoa and Nauru share Port Moresby 2015 powerlifting spoils |date=10 July 2015 |url=http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1028592/tuvalu-claim-first-ever-pacific-games-gold-medal-as-samoa-and-nauru-share-port-moresby-2015-powerlifting-spoils |access-date=16 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="GEMS22">{{cite web |work=Pacific Games 2015 |title=Powerlifting 120kg Male |date=10 July 2015 |url=http://pg2015.gems.pro/Result/Event_Overall.aspx?Event_GUID=a3f830c7-642e-44cc-bd35-de2eb1794f88&SetLanguage=en-GB&Section= |access-date=11 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="RNZI1107">{{cite web |work=Radio New Zealand International |title=Sport: Tuvalu wins first ever Pacific Games gold |date=11 July 2015 |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/278473/sport-tuvalu-wins-first-ever-pacific-games-gold |access-date=12 July 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Tuvalu national football team (team picture, 2011).jpg|thumb|right|[[Tuvalu national football team]] (2011)]]
[[Football in Tuvalu]] is played at club and national team level. The [[Tuvalu national football team]] trains at the [[Tuvalu Sports Ground]] in [[Funafuti]] and competes in the [[Pacific Games]]. The [[Tuvalu National Football Association]] is an associate member of the [[Oceania Football Confederation]] (OFC) and is seeking membership in [[FIFA]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/homefifa/news/newsid=886994/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718061914/http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/homefifa/news/newsid=886994/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 July 2012 |title=Tuvalu eye place in football family |publisher=FIFA}} 22 September 2008</ref><ref name="Frew">{{cite web |first=Craig |last=Frew |title=Tuvalu still dreams of joining Fifa's world football family |date=9 December 2013 |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25137180 |work=BBC Scotland |access-date=10 December 2013}}</ref> The [[Tuvalu national futsal team]] participates in the [[OFC Futsal Nations Cup|Oceanian Futsal Championship]].

A major sporting event is the "Independence Day Sports Festival" held annually on 1 October. The most important sports event within the country is arguably the [[Tuvalu Games]], which are held yearly since 2008. Tuvalu first participated in the Pacific Games in 1978 and in the [[Tuvalu at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]] in 1998, when a weightlifter attended the games held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.<ref name="CGFT">{{cite web |title=CGF – Tuvalu |url=http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=TUV |publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation |access-date=15 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070729025928/http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=TUV |archive-date=29 July 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Two table tennis players attended the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England;<ref name="CGFT"/> Tuvalu entered competitors in shooting, table tennis and weightlifting at the [[Tuvalu at the 2006 Commonwealth Games|2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne]], Australia;<ref name="CGFT"/> three athletes participated in the [[Tuvalu at the 2010 Commonwealth Games|2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi]], India, entering the discus, shot put and weightlifting events;<ref name="CGFT"/> and a team of 3 weightlifters and 2 table tennis players attended the [[Tuvalu at the 2014 Commonwealth Games|2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow]]. Tuvaluan athletes have also participated in the men's and women's [[100 metres]] sprint at the [[Tuvalu at the World Championships in Athletics|World Championships in Athletics]] from 2009.

The [[Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee]] (TASNOC) was recognised as a National Olympic Committee in July 2007. Tuvalu entered the Olympic Games for the first time at the [[Tuvalu at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Summer Games]] in Beijing, China, with a weightlifter and two athletes in the men's and women's 100 metres sprint. A team with athletes in the same events represented [[Tuvalu at the 2012 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="TPB 2812">{{cite web |work=London 2012 – Tuvalu in the 30th Olympiad of the Modern Era |title=Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Newsletter (TPB: 02/2012) |date=7 August 2012 |url=http://stampsoftuvalu.com/ |access-date=7 March 2013 |archive-date=30 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330024756/http://www.stampsoftuvalu.com/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Etimoni Timuani]] was the sole representative of Tuvalu at the [[2016 Summer Olympics]] in the 100m event.<ref name="RS16">{{cite magazine |magazine=Rolling Stone |title=The Underdogs: 15 Olympic Athletes That Could Shock the World |date=5 August 2016 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/sports/pictures/15-olympic-athletes-that-could-shock-the-world-w432770/etimoni-timuani-w432836 |access-date=5 August 2016}}</ref> [[Karalo Maibuca]] and [[Matie Stanley]] represented Tuvalu at the [[Tuvalu at the 2020 Summer Olympics|2020 Summer Olympics]] in the 100m events.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MAIBUCA Karalo Hepoiteloto |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1377488-maibuca-karalo-hepoiteloto.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=24 July 2021 |work=[[Tokyo 2020 Olympics]] |archive-date=15 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815113436/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1377488-maibuca-karalo-hepoiteloto.htm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=STANLEY Matie |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1851656-stanley-matie.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=24 July 2021 |work=[[Tokyo 2020 Olympics]] |language=en-us |archive-date=2 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802090910/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1851656-stanley-matie.htm}}</ref> Tuvalu sent a team to the [[Tuvalu at the 2023 Pacific Games|2023 Pacific Games]]. Tuvalu was represented in athletic events at the [[2024 Summer Olympics]] by Karalo Maibuca in the men's 100 metres,<ref>{{Cite web |title=MAIBUCA Karalo Hepoiteloto |url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/karalo-hepoiteloto-maibuca_1897299 |work=[[Paris 2024 Olympics]] |access-date=3 August 2024}}</ref> and Temalini Manatoa in the women's 100 metres.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MANATOA Temalini |url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/temalini-manatoa_1897307 |access-date=3 August 2024 |work=[[Paris 2024 Olympics]]}}</ref>

==Economy and government services==
{{main|Economy of Tuvalu}}

===Economy===
[[File:National Bank of Tuvalu.jpg|thumb|[[National Bank of Tuvalu]]]]
From 1996 to 2002, Tuvalu was one of the best-performing Pacific Island economies and achieved an average real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 5.6% per annum. Economic growth slowed after 2002, with GDP growth of 1.5% in 2008. Tuvalu was exposed to rapid rises in world prices of fuel and food in 2008, with the level of inflation peaking at 13.4%.<ref name="IMF 2010">{{cite web |title=Tuvalu: 2010 Article IV Consultation-Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Tuvalu |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=24632.0 |publisher=International Monetary Fund Country Report No. 11/46 |date=8 February 2011 |access-date=4 September 2011}}</ref> Tuvalu has the smallest total GDP of any sovereign state in the world.<ref name="IMF Groups">{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=58&pr.y=19&sy=2015&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=001%2C998&s=NGDPD&grp=1&a=1 |title=Report for Selected Country Groups and Subjects |work=[[World Economic Outlook]] |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |date=April 2016}}</ref>
Tuvalu joined the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) on 24 June 2010.<ref name="IMF16">{{cite web |title=Tuvalu Accepts Article VIII Obligations |url=https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2016/11/03/PR16483-Tuvalu-Accepts-Article-VIII-Obligations#.WB2oJsXMZSo.facebook |publisher=International Monetary Fund press release no. 16/483 |date=3 November 2016 |access-date=25 February 2017}}</ref>

In 2023, the IMF Article IV consultation with Tuvalu concluded that a successful vaccination strategy allowed Tuvalu to lift coronavirus disease (COVID) containment measures at the end of 2022. However, the economic cost of the pandemic was significant, with real gross domestic product growth falling, and an increase in the rate of inflation.<ref name="B2023-1">{{cite web |title=Tuvalu: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Tuvalu |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2023/07/19/Tuvalu-2023-Article-IV-Consultation-Press-Release-Staff-Report-and-Statement-by-the-536777 |publisher=International Monetary Fund Country Report No. 2023/267 |pages=1–4 |date=21 July 2023 |access-date=24 September 2023}}</ref> The increase in inflation in 2022 was due to the rapid rise in the cost of food resulting from a drought that affected food production and from rising global food prices, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine (food imports represent 19 percent of Tuvalu's GDP, while agriculture makes up for only 10 percent of GDP).<ref name="B2023-1"/>

The growth of GDP of Tuvalu was at a high point in 2019. The global pandemic resulted in a retraction in the level of GDP (-3.7% in 2020, -0.5% in 2021, and -2.3% in 2022). Tuvalu experienced a 7.9% GDP growth in 2023, however the growth was estimated to moderate to 3.3 percent in 2024. An important factor in the moderation in growth is an expected decline in fishing revenue.<ref name="B2025-26-T1">{{cite web|title= 2025-2026 National Budget |url= https://finance.gov.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-2026-National-Budget.pdf|publisher= Government of Tuvalu|page=|date=23 June 2024|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref>
In 2025, GDP growth was estimated to further moderate to 3 percent of GDP. In 2026, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects GDP growth to ease further to 2.1 percent.<ref name="B2025-IMF1">{{cite web|title= Tuvalu: 2025 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Tuvalu|url= https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2025/09/12/Tuvalu-2025-Article-IV-Consultation-Press-Release-Staff-Report-and-Statement-by-the-570252 |publisher= International Monetary Fund Country Report No. 2025/257|page=|date=12 September 2025|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref>  This trend towards more modest and sustainable growth levels reflects underlying structural challenges in the economy of Tuvalu, including sluggish productivity, rising emigration, and growing exposure to climate-related risks, and also Tuvalu’s exposure to global economic conditions.<ref name="B2024-25-T1">{{cite web|title= 2024-2025 National Budget |url= https://finance.gov.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/National-Budget-2024-2025.pdf|publisher= Government of Tuvalu|page=|date=24 June 2024|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="B2025-26-T1">{{cite web|title= 2025-2026 National Budget |url= https://finance.gov.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-2026-National-Budget.pdf|publisher= Government of Tuvalu|page=|date=23 June 2024|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref> Tuvalu’s economy is small and heavily reliant on a few sectors, including fishing, government services, and remittances  from Tuvaluans participated in regional employment programmes in Australia and New Zealand. The National Bank of Tuvalu calculated remittances from New Zealand and Australia rose to 7% of GDP between 2021 and 2023.<ref name="B2024-25-T1"/>

The government is the primary provider of medical services through [[Princess Margaret Hospital (Funafuti)|Princess Margaret Hospital]] on Funafuti, which operates health clinics on the other islands. Banking services are provided by the [[National Bank of Tuvalu]]. Public sector workers make up about 65% of those formally employed. Remittances from Tuvaluans living in Australia and New Zealand, and remittances from Tuvaluan sailors employed on overseas ships are important sources of income for Tuvaluans.<ref name=AusAID>{{cite web |url=http://www.ausaid.gov.au/country/country.cfm?CountryId=22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320052433/http://www.ausaid.gov.au/country/country.cfm?CountryId=22 |archive-date=20 March 2012 |title=Australian Government: AusAID (Tuvalu) |access-date=1 September 2011}}</ref> Approximately 15% of adult males work as seamen on foreign-flagged merchant ships. [[Agriculture in Tuvalu]] is focused on [[coconut]] trees and growing [[pulaka]] in large pits of composted soil below the water table. Tuvaluans are otherwise involved in traditional subsistence agriculture and fishing.

Tuvaluans are well known for their seafaring skills, with the [[Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute]] on [[Amatuku]] [[islet|motu]] (island), Funafuti, providing training to approximately 120 marine cadets each year so that they have the skills necessary for employment as seafarers on merchant shipping. The [[Tuvalu Overseas Seamen's Union]] (TOSU) is the only registered trade union in Tuvalu. It represents workers on foreign ships. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that 800 Tuvaluan men are trained, certified and active as seafarers. The ADB estimates that, at any one time, about 15% of the adult male population works abroad as seafarers.<ref name="ADB2011">{{cite web |title=Maritime Training Project: Program Completion Reports |date=September 2011 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |url=http://www.adb.org/projects/documents/maritime-training-project-0 |access-date=28 January 2013}}</ref> Job opportunities also exist as observers on tuna boats where the role is to monitor compliance with the boat's tuna fishing licence.<ref name="TO0315">{{cite web |last=Dornan |first=Matthew |work=The Conversation |title=The Pacific islands 'tuna cartel' is boosting jobs by watching fish |date=4 March 2015 |url=http://theconversation.com/the-pacific-islands-tuna-cartel-is-boosting-jobs-by-watching-fish-38177 |access-date=10 March 2015}}</ref>

Government revenues largely come from sales of fishing licences, income from the [[Tuvalu Trust Fund]], and from the lease of its "[[.tv]]" internet [[Top Level Domain]] (TLD). Tuvalu began deriving revenue from the commercialisation of its ".tv" internet domain name,<ref name="Conway">{{cite journal |author=Conway, James M. |url=http://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-10-2-Conway.pdf |title=Entrepreneurship, Tuvalu, development and .tv: a response |journal=Island Studies Journal |volume=10 |issue=2 |year=2015 |pages=229–252 |doi=10.24043/isj.329 |s2cid=248650961 |access-date=25 February 2017 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019015241/https://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/islandstudies.ca/files/ISJ-10-2-Conway.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> which was managed by [[Verisign]] until 2021.<ref>{{cite web |first=Michael H. |last=Berkens |url=http://www.thedomains.com/2012/02/25/verisign-renews-contract-with-tuvalu-to-run-tv-registry-through-2021/ |title=Verisign Renews Contract With Tuvalu To Run .TV Registry Through 2021 |date=25 February 2012 |publisher=The Domains |access-date=27 February 2012}}</ref><ref name=WP01219>{{cite news |first=Alexander |last=Lee |title=Tuvalu is a tiny island nation of 11,000 people. It's cashing in thanks to Twitch |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=23 December 2019 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2019/12/23/tuvalu-is-tiny-island-nation-people-its-cashing-thanks-twitch/ |access-date=26 December 2019}}</ref> In 2023, an agreement between the government of Tuvalu and the [[GoDaddy]] company, outsourced the marketing, sales, promotion and branding of the [[.tv]] domain to the [[Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation]], which established a .tv unit.<ref name="DFA23-TV">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=.tv Unit at Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation |publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs – Government of Tuvalu |page= |date=13 December 2023 |url=https://dfa.gov.tv/index.php/2022/12/13/tv-unit-at-tuvalu-telecommunications-corporation/ |access-date=25 November 2023}}</ref> Tuvalu also generates income from postage stamps by the [[Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau]], and from the [[Tuvalu Ship Registry]].

The [[Tuvalu Trust Fund]] (TTF) was established in 1987 by the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.<ref name="Goldsmith" /> The TTF is a sovereign wealth fund that is owned by Tuvalu but is administered by an international board and the government of Tuvalu. When the performance of the TTF exceeds its operating target each year, excess funds are transferred to the Consolidated Investment Fund (CIF), and can be freely drawn upon by the Tuvaluan government to finance budgetary expenditures.<ref name="B2023-3">{{cite web |title=Tuvalu: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Tuvalu |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2023/07/19/Tuvalu-2023-Article-IV-Consultation-Press-Release-Staff-Report-and-Statement-by-the-536777 |publisher=International Monetary Fund Country Report No. 2023/267 |page=6 |date=21 July 2023 |access-date=24 September 2023}}</ref> In 2022, the value of the Tuvalu Trust Fund is approximately $190&nbsp;million.<ref name="B2023-3"/> In 2021 the market value of the TTF rose by 12 percent to its highest level on record (261 percent of GDP). However, the volatility in global equity markets in 2022 resulted in the TTF's value falling by 7 percent as compared to the end of 2021.<ref name="B2023-3"/>

Financial support to Tuvalu is also provided by Japan, South Korea and the [[European Union]]. Australia and New Zealand continue to contribute capital to the TTF, and provide other forms of development assistance.<ref name=AusAID/><ref name="Goldsmith" />

The [[U.S. government]] is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu. In 1999, the payment from the South Pacific Tuna Treaty (SPTT) was about $9&nbsp;million, with the value increasing in the following years. In May 2013, representatives from the United States and the Pacific Islands countries agreed to sign interim arrangement documents to extend the Multilateral Fisheries Treaty (which encompasses the South Pacific Tuna Treaty) for 18 months.<ref name="RA160513">{{cite web |last=Coutts |first=Geraldine |work=Radio Australia |title=US signs new tuna agreement with the Pacific |date=16 May 2013 |url=http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/pacific-beat/us-signs-new-tuna-agreement-with-the-pacific/1131586 |access-date=3 September 2013}}</ref>

The United Nations designates Tuvalu as a [[least developed country]] (LDC) because of its limited potential for economic development, absence of exploitable resources and its small size and vulnerability to external economic and environmental shocks.<ref name=unohrlls>{{cite web |url=http://www.unohrlls.org/ |title=United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States |work=SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES: Small Islands Big(ger) Stakes |publisher=UN-OHRLLS |year=2011 |access-date=1 September 2010 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101141932/http://unohrlls.org/ |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Tuvalu participates in the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries (EIF), which was established in October 1997 under the auspices of the [[World Trade Organization|World Trade Organisation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/ldc/shared/Tuvalu.pdf |title=Tuvalu – Draft Country Review Paper, Implementation in Asia and the Pacific of the Brussels Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001–2010: progress made, obstacles encountered and the way forward |date=8 January 2010 |publisher=The United Nations |access-date=24 October 2011}}</ref> In 2013, Tuvalu deferred its graduation from [[least developed country]] (LDC) status to a [[developing country]] to 2015. [[Enele Sopoaga]], the prime minister in 2013, said that this deferral was necessary to maintain access by Tuvalu to the funds provided by the United Nations's [[National Adaptation Programme of Action]] (NAPA), as "Once Tuvalu graduates to a developed country, it will not be considered for funding assistance for [[climate change adaptation]] programmes like NAPA, which only goes to LDCs". Tuvalu had met targets so that Tuvalu was to graduate from LDC status. Enele Sopoaga wanted the United Nations to reconsider its criteria for graduation from LDC status as not enough weight is given to the environmental plight of small island states like Tuvalu in the application of the [[Environmental Vulnerability Index]] (EVI).<ref name="RNZ230913">{{cite web |work=Radio New Zealand International |title=Tuvalu wants changes in assessment of LDC criteria |date=23 September 2013 |url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=79324 |access-date=24 September 2013}}</ref>

===Transport===
[[File:Manu Folau off Vaitupu Harbour, Tuvalu.JPG|thumb|''Manu Folau'' off [[Vaitupu]] atoll (2006)]]

There are limited transport services in Tuvalu. There are about {{convert|8|km|mi|0|spell=in|abbr=off}} of roads.<ref name=CIA/> The streets of Funafuti were paved in mid-2002, but other roads are unpaved. Tuvalu does not have any railways.

Funafuti is the only port, but there is a deep-water berth in the lagoon at [[Nukufetau]]. Landing passengers and cargo on some of the islands is difficult as the reef islands do not have a lagoon that shipping can enter or the atoll's lagoon does not have navigable channels. Landing on these islands involves passengers and cargo being transferred from ships to workboats for delivery to landing points on the islands. The Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project was developed by the government of Tuvalu and funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).<ref name=IEE1>{{cite web| last= | title = Tuvalu: Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project - Initial Environmental Examination |date = July 2016| publisher= Prepared by the Ministry of Communication and Transport of Tuvalu for the Asian Development Bank | url= https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/linked-documents/48484-002-ieeab.pdf| access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref><ref name=SSDDR>{{cite web| last= | title = Tuvalu: Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project - Social Safeguards Due Diligence Report|date = July 2017| publisher= Prepared by the Ministry of Communication and Transport of Tuvalu for the Asian Development Bank | url= https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/project-documents/48484/48484-002-sddr-en.pdf| access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref><ref name= AIFFP23>{{cite web| last= | title = Nui & Niutao Outer Islands Boat Harbour Upgrade Project - Tuvalu Business Case |date = 5 May 2023  | publisher= The Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific | url= https://www.aiffp.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-01/business_case_-_tuvalu_niu_niutao_harbours.pdf| access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref><ref name=IEE2>{{cite web| last= | title = TUV: Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project (Additional Financing) Project Number 48484-004, Initial Environmental Examination |date = August 2018| publisher= Prepared by the Ministry of Communication and Transport of Tuvalu for the Asian Development Bank | url= https://ewsdata.rightsindevelopment.org/files/documents/04/ADB-48484-004_Ix6mjnU.pdf| access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref><ref name=NHCRVA>{{cite web| last= | title = Niutao Harbour Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment |date = June 2018 | publisher= Prepared by the ICF International for the Asian Development Bank | url= https://ewsdata.rightsindevelopment.org/files/documents/04/ADB-48484-004_003JhPl.pdf| access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref> The shipping infrastructure on Nukulaelae, Nanumaga, Nui and Niutao was damaged by Tropical [[Cyclone Pam]] in March 2015.<ref name= AIFFP23/><ref name= AIFFP24-1>{{cite web| last= | title = AIFFP funds released to improve maritime transport infrastructure Nui and Niutao outer islands in Tuvalu |date = 11 January 2024 | publisher= The Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific | url= https://www.aiffp.gov.au/news/aiffp-funds-released-improve-maritime-transport-infrastructure-nui-and-niutao-outer-islands-tuvalu | access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref> [[Nukulaelae]] is an [[atoll]], with  access to the Nukulaelae lagoon involves navigating a passage through the fringing reef into a central channel or passage. [[Niutao]] and [[Nanumanga]] are [[reef]] islands, so that access to these islands involves transferring passengers and cargo from a ship standing off the island, using work boats to land on the fringing reef that surrounds each island. The Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project also involved constructing a small boat harbour construction on Nui and Nukulaelae,<ref name= AIFFP23>{{cite web| last= | title = Nui & Niutao Outer Islands Boat Harbour Upgrade Project - Tuvalu Business Case |date = 5 May 2023  | publisher= The Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific | url= https://www.aiffp.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-01/business_case_-_tuvalu_niu_niutao_harbours.pdf| access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref><ref name= AIFFP24-2>{{cite web| last= | title = Climate resilient upgrades to Tuvalu's Nui harbour complete |date = 17 June 2024 | publisher= The Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific | url= https://www.aiffp.gov.au/news/climate-resilient-upgrades-tuvalus-nui-harbour-complete | access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref> and rehabilitating and expanding the landing facilities on Nanumaga and Niutao to construct workboat harbours.<ref name=NPH>{{cite web| last= | title = Niutao Port Harbour |date = 6 July 2021 | publisher= Department of Environment, Government of Tuvalu | url= https://tuvalu-data.sprep.org/dataset/niutao-port-harbor | access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref> Hall Contracting Pty Ltd was contracted by the Government of Tuvalu to carrying out the work,<ref name=EG>{{cite web| last = Ganic| first =Eldin| title = Hall kicks off Niutao island works |date = 19 June 2024 | publisher= Dredging Today | url= https://www.dredgingtoday.com/2024/06/19/hall-kicks-off-niutao-island-works/| access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref> which has carried out other infrastructure projects in Tuvalu, including on [[Nanumea]], which involved the construction of a 1.3-kilometre-long berm top barrier, a 170-metre-long Seabee seawall and seven reef-top barriers, and also work to upgrade facilities at the Port of Funafuti.

The [[merchant marine]] fleet consists of two passenger/cargo ships, ''Nivaga III'' and ''Manu Sina'', both of which were donated by Japan. They provide round-trip visits to the outer islands every three or four weeks, and travel between [[Suva]], Fiji and Funafuti three or four times a year. ''Manu Sina'' (IMO: 1024182) is a passenger/general cargo ship with a capacity for 200 passengers. Her length overall (LOA) is 67 meters, width is 13 meters, and Gross Tonnage of 1,888. The launching ceremony was held in Saiki, Oita (Japan) in July 2024 in a ship yard of Honda Heavy Industries Co. Ltd.<ref name="ADB 2024-7">{{cite web|title= ADB, Partners Launch Ship as Part of Strengthening Domestic Shipping Project for Tuvalu|url= https://www.adb.org/news/adb-partners-launch-ship-part-strengthening-domestic-shipping-project-tuvalu|publisher= Asian Development Bank (ADB)|page=|date=9 July 2024|access-date=1 October 2025}}</ref><ref name="ADB 2025-7">{{cite web|title= ADB-supported Manu Sina in Tuvalu Ensures Safe and Reliable Transfer of People and Cargo Video |url= https://www.adb.org/news/videos/adb-supported-manu-sina-tuvalu-ensures-safe-and-reliable-transfer-people-and-cargo |publisher= Asian Development Bank (ADB)|page=|date=2 July 2025|access-date=1 October 2025}}</ref> The construction of the vessel was funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Government of Tuvalu.<ref name="ADB 2024-7"/> The ship arrived at Funafuti harbour on 2 April 2025, after a 13 day maiden voyage.<ref name="RNZ 2025-3">{{cite web|title= New 'state-of-the-art' passenger and cargo vessel arrives in Tuvalu |url= https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/556947/new-state-of-the-art-passenger-and-cargo-vessel-arrives-in-tuvalu|publisher= Radio New Zealand (RNZ)|page=|date=2 April 2025|access-date=1 October 2025}}</ref> The new ship replaces the aging ship, the ''Manu Folau''.<ref name="ADB 2024-7"/><ref name="B2025-26-T1">{{cite web|title= 2025-2026 National Budget |url= https://finance.gov.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-2026-National-Budget.pdf|publisher= Government of Tuvalu|page=|date=23 June 2024|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref>

In 2015 ''Nivaga III'' replaced ''Nivaga II'', which had been in service in Tuvalu from 1989.<ref name="FSO0316">{{cite web |last=Moceituba |first=Atasa |title=Brand-new vessel for Tuvalu |work=The Fiji Times |date=3 February 2016 |url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=340189 |access-date=17 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324094852/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=340189 |archive-date=24 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="PN0507">{{cite web |title=Kiribati private business buys Tuvalu's Nivaga II to operate in Kiribati |work=RADIO KIRIBATI/PACNEWS |date=25 May 2017 |url=http://www.pina.com.fj/index.php?p=pacnews&m=read&o=93141604659265acd9a8aa537778fa |access-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>

In 2020, the government of Tuvalu purchased a landing barge, which is intended to transport of [[dangerous goods]] and building material from the capital to the outer islands. The barge was named ''Moeiteava''. The government of Taiwan provided financial assistance.<ref name="TPTV2021-1">{{cite web |url=https://tuvaluparadise.tv/2021/01/29/lct-moeiteava-christened-and-commissioned/ |title=LCT 'Moeiteava' Christened And Commissioned |publisher=Tuvalu Paradise – Issue No. 06/2021 |date=29 January 2021 |access-date=8 March 2021 |archive-date=7 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807120850/https://tuvaluparadise.tv/2021/01/29/lct-moeiteava-christened-and-commissioned/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Tuvalu Fisheries Department operates two vessels for carrying out its activities within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and outer islands. These are the 18-metre ''Manaui'' and 32-metre ''Tala Moana''. The vessels are used for fisheries research, deploying fish aggregating devices (FADs), visiting outer islands for monitoring and consultations, including to implement Tuvalu's [[National Adaptation Programme of Action]] (NAPA) to [[climate change mitigation|address climate change]].<ref name="TF2020-2">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Our Organisation: Plans for 2021 |publisher=Tuvalu Fisheries (Tuvalu Ministry of Natural Resources) |page= |date=1 February 2020 |url=https://tuvalufisheries.tv/news/page/4/ |access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> The ''Manaui'' was procured through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 1989 and is nearing the end of its life.<ref name="TF2018-1">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Replacement of the RV Manaui TFD extension vessel |publisher=Tuvalu Fisheries (Tuvalu Ministry of Natural Resources) |page= |date=19 January 2018 |url=https://tuvalufisheries.tv/news/page/7/ |access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> In 2015, the [[United Nations Development Program]] (UNDP) provided assistance to acquire ''Tala Moana'';<ref name="UNDP15">{{cite web |title=UNDP Supports Tuvalu Ship |work=Fiji Sun Online |date=15 January 2016 |url=http://fijisun.com.fj/2016/01/15/undp-supports-tuvalu-ship/ |access-date=15 January 2016 |archive-date=16 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116053154/http://fijisun.com.fj/2016/01/15/undp-supports-tuvalu-ship/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> which is also used for Monitoring Control and Surveillance (MCS) patrols.<ref name="TF2019-11">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Dry-docking RV Tala Moana |publisher=Tuvalu Fisheries (Tuvalu Ministry of Natural Resources) |page= |date=1 November 2019 |url=https://tuvalufisheries.tv/news/page/4/ |access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> ''Tala Moana'' is a steel monohull oil rig supply vessel that is equipped with facilities for a team of about 15 people.<ref name="JJB">{{cite web |last=Bellamy |first=Jean-Joseph |title=Terminal Evaluation of the UNDP-GEF-Government of Tuvalu Project "Effective and responsive island-level governance to secure and diversify climate resilient marine- based coastal livelihoods and enhance climate hazard response capacity" |publisher=United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) / Tuvalu Department of the Environment |page=27 |date=10 June 2019 |url=https://www.gefieo.org/sites/default/files/documents/projects/tes/4714-terminal-evaluation.pdf |access-date=10 November 2023}}</ref>

The only international airport in Tuvalu is [[Funafuti International Airport]]. [[Fiji Airways]] operates services to Funafuti International Airport.<ref name="FTMN2">{{cite web |author1=Andrew McIntyre |author2=Brian Bell |author3=Solofa Uota |publisher=Government of Tuvalu |title="Fakafoou – To Make New": Tuvalu Infrastructure Strategy and Investment Plan |date=February 2012 |url=https://www.theprif.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/Tuvalu%20Infrastructure%20Strategy%20and%20Investment%20Plan%202012.pdf |access-date=11 February 2024 |archive-date=4 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304110355/https://theprif.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/Tuvalu%20Infrastructure%20Strategy%20and%20Investment%20Plan%202012.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Fiji Airways operates services three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) between [[Suva]] and Funafuti with [[ATR 72|ATR 72–600]] aircraft, which has a capacity of 72 passengers. Beginning 18 March 2024, flights also operate on Mondays between [[Nadi]] and Funafuti.<ref name="FJ">{{cite web |title=Fiji Airways Schedules Regular Nadi – Funafuti Service in 2024 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231227-fjns24fun |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=27 December 2023}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{see also|Funafuti Conservation Area|Public holidays in Tuvalu|Visa policy of Tuvalu}}
[[File:View from Hotel room.jpg|thumb|Funafuti lagoon (''Te Namo'')]]
Due to the country's remoteness, tourism is not significant. Visitors totalled 1,684 in 2010: 65% were on business, development officials or technical consultants, 20% were tourists (360 people), and 11% were expatriates returning to visit family.<ref name="FTMN">{{cite web |author1=Andrew McIntyre |author2=Brian Bell |author3=Solofa Uota |name-list-style=amp |work=Government of Tuvalu |title="Fakafoou – To Make New": Tuvalu Infrastructure Strategy and Investment Plan |date=February 2012 |url=https://www.theprif.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/Tuvalu%20Infrastructure%20Strategy%20and%20Investment%20Plan%202012.pdf |access-date=11 February 2024 |archive-date=4 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304110355/https://theprif.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/Tuvalu%20Infrastructure%20Strategy%20and%20Investment%20Plan%202012.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2016, the number of visitors had increased to 2,000.<ref name="UNWTO17">{{cite book |year=2017 |doi=10.18111/9789284419029 |isbn=9789284419029 |title=UNWTO Tourism Highlights: 2017 Edition |url=https://tede.ufrrj.br/jspui/handle/jspui/5202 |last1=Magalhães |first1=Bianca dos Santos}}</ref>

The main island of Funafuti is the focus of travellers, since the only airport in Tuvalu is the [[Funafuti International Airport]] and Funafuti is the only island that has hotel facilities.<ref>[http://www.timelesstuvalu.com/ Tuvalu's official tourism website]. Timelesstuvalu.com. Retrieved 14 July 2013.</ref> However, there are no tour guides, tour operators or organised activities and no cruise ships visit.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.traveller.com.au/up-close-and-personal-in-tuvalu-gn445o |title=Between Australia and Hawaii, the world's tiniest paradise |first=Louise |last=Southerden |date=29 June 2016 |website=Traveller}}</ref> [[Ecotourism]] is a motivation of travellers to Tuvalu. The [[Funafuti Conservation Area]] consists of {{convert|12.74|sqmi|km2|2|abbr=off}} of ocean, reef, lagoon, channel and six uninhabited islets.

The outer atolls can be visited on the two passenger-cargo ships, ''Nivaga III'' and ''Manu Sina'', which provide round-trip visits to the outer islands every three or four weeks. There is guesthouse accommodation on many of the outer islands.

===Telecommunications and media===
{{main|Telecommunications in Tuvalu}}
{{see also|List of newspapers in Tuvalu}}
The [[Tuvalu Media Corporation|Tuvalu Media Department]] of the Government of Tuvalu operates ''Radio Tuvalu'' which broadcasts from Funafuti.<ref name="pacmas2"/> In 2011, the Japanese government provided financial support to construct a new [[AM broadcasting|AM]] broadcast studio. The installation of upgraded transmission equipment allows Radio Tuvalu to be heard on all nine islands of Tuvalu. The new AM radio transmitter on Funafuti replaced the FM radio service to the outer islands and freed up satellite bandwidth for mobile services.<ref name="FTMN" /> ''Fenui – news from Tuvalu'' is a free digital publication of the Tuvalu Media Department that is emailed to subscribers and operates a Facebook page, which publishes news about government activities and news about Tuvaluan events.

[[Communications in Tuvalu]] rely on satellite dishes for telephone, television, and internet access. The [[Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation]] (TTC) is a state-owned enterprise that provides fixed line telephone communications to subscribers on each island, mobile phone services on [[Funafuti]], [[Vaitupu]] and [[Nukulaelae]], and is a distributor of the [[Fiji Television]] service ([[Sky Pacific]] satellite television service).<ref name="FTMN" />

The Tuvalu Vaka subsea cable was connected in 2025, together with the introduction of Starlink community gateways, they transform digital connectivity and expand access to essential services by providing continuous access to telecommunication services. The roll out of Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) in Funafuti, also expanded access to high-speed internet.<ref name="B2025-26-T2">{{cite web|title= 2025-2026 National Budget |url= https://finance.gov.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-2026-National-Budget.pdf|publisher= Government of Tuvalu|page=|date=23 June 2024|access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref> The Starlink Community Gateway was funded under a World Bank ICT project, and provides redundancy with the VAKA cable.<ref name="B2025-26-T2"/>

In July 2020, the Government of Tuvalu signed a five-year agreement with [[Kacific Broadband Satellites]] to supply Tuvalu with [[internet]] via sixty 1.2&nbsp;metre [[Very-small-aperture terminal|VSAT]] satellite receivers.<ref name="Kacific2020">{{cite web |url=https://kacific.com/news/tuvalu-government-signs-agreement-with-kacific-for-wide-ranging-suite-of-connectivity-services/ |title=Tuvalu Government signs agreement with Kacific for wide-ranging suite of connectivity services |publisher=Press Release: Kacific Broadband Satellites Group |date=22 July 2020 |access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref> The agreement provided a combined [[Data-rate units|data transfer capacity]] of 400 to 600&nbsp;Mbit/s to schools, medical clinics, government agencies, small businesses, and 40 outdoor [[Wi-Fi hotspot]]s, as well as Tuvaluan interisland ferries via three maritime antennae.<ref name="Kacific2020"/> A [[Ka band]] antenna was installed to provide the island's mobile phone network with [[trunking]] and [[Backhaul (telecommunications)|backhaul]] services.<ref name="Kacific2020"/> By February 2022, Kacific and Agility Beyond Space (ABS) satellites provided the island with a combined capacity of 510&nbsp;Mbit/s.<ref name=ABS21>{{cite web |first= |last= |title=ABS Will Provide High-Speed Connectivity To Tuvalu Pacific Islands |work=satnews |date=3 March 2021 |url=https://news.satnews.com/2021/03/03/abs-will-provide-high-speed-connectivity-to-tuvalu-pacific-islands/ |access-date=14 March 2024}}</ref> <!--Information about the contract with ABS should also be mentioned above, as the figure of 510 Mbit/s is what the Kacific contract should have been supplying the island with on its own.-->

The average download of data per device is about 9&nbsp;GB/user/month, with 95% of devices in use supporting 4G LTE service.<ref name=AM22>{{cite web |first= |last= |title=Tuvalu: Telecommunications and ICT Development Project (P159395) Virtual Support Mission – Aide-Memoire |work=World Bank |date=23 February 2022 |url=https://cpmo.gov.tv/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TICT-Aide-Memoire.pdf |access-date=14 March 2024}}</ref> Also, Tuvalu has 5,915 active broadband users (the largest base of users is on Funafuti), with dedicated satellite and hotspot users on the outer islands, each of which having three to five hotspots.<ref name=AM22/>

===Filmography===
{{Refbegin}}
Documentary films about Tuvalu:
* ''Tu Toko Tasi'' (Stand by Yourself) (2000) Conrad Mill, a Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) production.<ref name="Mill">{{cite web |last=Phelan |first=Erin |title=Tuvalu in World TV Festival |publisher=Pacific Islands Report |date=15 May 2000 |url=http://www.pireport.org/articles/2000/05/15/tuvalu-world-tv-festival |access-date=30 September 2017 |archive-date=30 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930131207/http://www.pireport.org/articles/2000/05/15/tuvalu-world-tv-festival |url-status=dead}}
</ref>
* [http://article.wn.com/view/2015/03/15/Tuvalu_battered_by_Cyclone_Pam/ ''Paradise Domain – Tuvalu''] (Director: Joost De Haas, Bullfrog Films/TVE 2001) 25:52 minutes – YouTube video.<ref name="MKM"/> 
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQlrPm-VyE4 ''Tuvalu island tales (A Tale of two Islands'')] (Director: Michel Lippitsch) 34 minutes – YouTube video.
* ''The Disappearing of Tuvalu: Trouble in Paradise'' (2004) by Christopher Horner and Gilliane Le Gallic.<ref name="HG">{{cite web |title=DER Documentary: ''The Disappearing of Tuvalu: Trouble in Paradise'' |publisher=DER Documentary |year=2004 |url=http://www.der.org/films/the-disappearing-of-tuvalu.html |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>
* ''Paradise Drowned: Tuvalu, the Disappearing Nation'' (2004) Written and produced by Wayne Tourell. Directed by Mike O'Connor, Savana Jones-Middleton and Wayne Tourell.<ref name="WT">{{cite web |title=Documentary: Paradise Drowned |publisher=NZ Geographic |year=2004 |url=http://www.nzgeo.com/video/paradise-drowned/ |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>
* ''Going Under'' (2004) by Franny Armstrong, Spanner Films.<ref name="MKM"/>
* ''Before the Flood: Tuvalu'' (2005) by Paul Lindsay (Storyville/BBC Four).<ref name="MKM"/>
* ''Time and Tide'' (2005) by Julie Bayer and Josh Salzman, Wavecrest Films.<ref name="TAT">{{cite web |title=''Time and Tide'' |publisher=Wavecrest Films |year=2005 |url=http://wavecrestfilms.com/ |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>
* [http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2005/12/tuvalu_that_sin_1.html ''Tuvalu: That Sinking Feeling''] (2005) by Elizabeth Pollock from [[PBS]] [[Rough Cuts (TV series)|Rough Cut]]
* ''Atlantis Approaching'' (2006) by Elizabeth Pollock, Blue Marble Productions.<ref name="BMP">{{cite web |title=''Atlantis Approaching'': The Movie |publisher=Blue Marble Productions |year=2006 |url=http://www.blue-marble.tv/7.html |access-date=30 September 2017 |archive-date=30 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930131231/http://www.blue-marble.tv/7.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [http://www.thesinkingoftuvalu.com/ ''King Tide | The Sinking of Tuvalu''] (2007) by Juriaan Booij.<ref name="KT">{{cite web |title=''King Tide – The Sinking of Tuvalu'' |publisher=Juriaan Booij |year=2007 |url=http://www.thesinkingoftuvalu.com/ |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSmN8Eq4qEg ''Tuvalu''] (Director: Aaron Smith, 'Hungry Beast' program, ABC June 2011) 6:40 minutes – YouTube video.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7GI7zeHOxQ ''Tuvalu: Renewable Energy in the Pacific Islands Series''] (2012) a production of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and [[Pacific Regional Environment Programme|SPREP]] 10 minutes – YouTube video.
* ''Mission Tuvalu'' (Missie Tuvalu) (2013) feature documentary directed by Jeroen van den Kroonenberg.<ref name="MTT">{{cite web |title=Missie Tuvalu / Mission Tuvalu documentary |publisher=Omroep Brabant |year=2013 |url=http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/1988061113/Documentaire+over+hoe+een+Eindhovenaar+het+eiland+Tuvalu+op+de+FIFA-ranglijst+probeert+te+krijgen.aspx |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>
* ''ThuleTuvalu'' (2014) by Matthias von Gunten, HesseGreutert Film/OdysseyFilm.<ref name="TTT">{{cite web |title=''ThuleTuvalu'' |publisher=HesseGreutert Film/OdysseyFilm |year=2014 |url=http://www.thuletuvalu.com/ |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>

{{refend}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* [http://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/psi/bibliography/tuvalu.pdf Bibliography of Tuvalu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924025700/http://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/psi/bibliography/tuvalu.pdf |date=24 September 2015 }}
{{refend}}

==See also==
* [[Outline of Tuvalu]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=defence2019-04-07>
{{cite news |url=https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/linda-reynolds/media-releases/guardian-class-patrol-boat-gifted-tuvalu |title=Guardian Class Patrol Boat gifted to Tuvalu |work=[[Australian Ministry of Defence]] |author=Christopher Pyne |date=7 April 2019 |access-date=7 April 2019 |quote=Te Mataili II was received by the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, the Right Hon Enele Sosene Sopoaga at a handover ceremony attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism, Environment and Labour, the Hon Taukelina Finikaso, the Minister for Natural Resources, the Hon Dr Puakena Boreham, and the Commissioner of the Tuvalu Police Service, Commissioner Luka Falefou.}}
</ref>

<ref name=NavalToday2019-04-06>
{{cite news |url=https://navaltoday.com/2019/04/05/australia-hands-over-guardian-class-patrol-boat-to-tuvalu/ |title=Australia hands over Guardian-class patrol boat to Tuvalu |work=[[Naval Today]] |date=6 April 2019 |access-date=7 April 2019 |quote=The 39.5 meter steel hulled patrol boat was built by Australian shipbuilder Austal under an AUD 335 million program that will see 21 boats gifted to 12 Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste.}}
</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}} 
* ''Lonely Planet Guide: South Pacific & Micronesia'', by various.{{ISBN|1786572184}} {{ISBN|978-1786572189}}
* Chalkley, John, (1999) ''Vaitupu: Two Years on a Remote Polynesian Atoll'', Matuku Publications. {{ISBN|9780953487608}} {{ISBN|0953487601}}
* Ells, Philip, (2008) ''Where the Hell Is Tuvalu?'' Virgin Books. {{ISBN|0753511304}} {{ISBN|978-0753511305}}
* [[Arthur Grimble|Grimble, Arthur]], (1952) ''[[A Pattern of Islands]]'', John Murray.
{{refend}}

'''Biodiversity'''
{{Refbegin}}
* [[Dick Watling|Watling, Dick]], (2003) ''A Guide to the Birds of Fiji and Western Polynesia: Including American Samoa, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna'', Environmental Consultants (Fiji) Ltd; 2nd edition. {{ISBN|9829030040}} {{ISBN|9789829030047}}
* {{cite journal |last=Thaman |first=R.R. |title=Batiri Kei Baravi: The Ethnobotany of Pacific Island Coastal Plants |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |volume=361 |publisher=National Museum of Natural History, [[Smithsonian Institution]] |date=May 1992 |pages=1–62 |doi=10.5479/si.00775630.361.1 |url=http://repository.si.edu/bitstream/10088/5070/1/00361.pdf |access-date=8 February 2014 }}
* {{cite journal |author=Thaman, R.R. |date=October 2016 |title=The Flora of Tuvalu: Lakau Mo Mouku o Tuvalu |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |issue=611 |pages=xii-129 |doi=10.5479/si.0077-5630.611 |s2cid=89181901 |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite web |first1=Randy |last1=Thaman |first2=Feagaiga |last2=Penivao |first3=Faoliu |last3=Teakau |first4=Semese |last4=Alefaio |first5=Lamese |last5=Saamu |first6=Moe |last6=Saitala |first7=Mataio |last7=Tekinene |first8=Mile |last8=Fonua |work=Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of the Conservation Status of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) In Tuvalu |title=Report on the 2016 Funafuti Community-Based Ridge-To-Reef (R2R) |year=2017 |url=https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/Tuvalu/r2r-biorap.pdf |access-date=25 May 2019 |archive-date=25 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525050122/https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/Tuvalu/r2r-biorap.pdf |url-status=dead }}
{{refend}}

'''Culture, customs and traditions'''
{{Refbegin}}
* Sandra Iren (2013), [https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/36994/SandraIrenBarkas.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Barkås, ''Alofa – Expressions of Love: Change and Continuity in Tuvalu'']
* Brady, Ivan (1972). "Kinship Reciprocity in the Ellice Islands", ''Journal of the Polynesian Society'' 81:3, 290–316
* Brady, Ivan, (1974). "Land Tenure in the Ellice Islands", in Henry P. Lundsaarde (ed). ''Land Tenure in Oceania'', Honolulu, University Press of Hawaii. {{ISBN|0824803213}} {{ISBN|9780824803216}}
* Chambers, Keith & Anne Chambers, (January 2001) ''Unity of Heart: Culture and Change in a Polynesian Atoll Society'', Waveland Pr Inc. {{ISBN|1577661664}} {{ISBN|978-1577661665}}
*{{cite thesis |last=Corlew |first=Laura Kati |date=May 2012 |title=The Cultural Impacts of Climate Change |type=PhD |publisher=University of Hawaii |url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/101349/1/Corlew_Laura_r.pdf |access-date=15 September 2016}}
* [[Donald Gilbert Kennedy|Kennedy, Donald Gilbert]], ''Field Notes on the Culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands'' (1931): Thomas Avery & Sons, New Plymouth, N.Z.
* Kennedy, Donald Gilbert, ''Land tenure in the Ellice Islands'', Journal of the Polynesian Society., Vol. 64, no. 4 (Dec. 1953):348–358.
* [[Gerd Koch|Koch, Gerd]], (1961) ''Die Materielle Kulture der Ellice-Inseln'', Berlin: Museum fur Volkerkunde; The English translation by Guy Slatter, was published as ''The Material Culture of Tuvalu'', University of the South Pacific in Suva (1981) ASIN B0000EE805.
{{refend}}

'''History'''
{{Refbegin}} 
*{{cite journal |ref=Hedley |last1=Hedley |first1=Charles |title=General Account of the Atoll of Funafuti |url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |year=1896 |journal=Australian Museum Memoir |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=1–72 |doi=10.3853/j.0067-1967.3.1896.487}}
* ''Tuvalu: A History'' (1983) Isala, Tito and Laracy, Hugh (eds.), Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Government of Tuvalu.
* Bedford, R., Macdonald, B., & Munro, D., (1980) ''Population Estimates for Kiribati and Tuvalu, 1850–1900: Review and Speculation'', Journal of the Polynesian Society, 89, 199–246.
* Bollard, AE., (1981) ''The financial adventures of J. C. Godeffroy and Son in the Pacific'', Journal of Pacific History, 16: 3–19.
* Firth, S., (1973) ''German Firms in the Western Pacific Islands, 1857–1914'', Journal of Pacific History, 8: 10–28.
* Geddes, W. H., Chambers, A., Sewell, B., Lawrence, R., & Watters, R. (1982) ''Islands on the Line, team report. Atoll economy: Social change in Kiribati and Tuvalu, No. 1'', Canberra: Australian National University, Development Studies Centre.
* Goodall, N. (1954) ''A history of the London Missionary Society 1895–1945'', London: Oxford University Press.
* Macdonald, Barrie, (1971) ''Local Government in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1892–1969 – part 1'', Journal of Administration Overseas, 10, 280–293.
* Macdonald, Barrie, (1972) ''Local Government in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1892–1969 – part 2'', Journal of Administration Overseas, 11, 11–27.
* Macdonald, Barrie, (2001) ''Cinderellas of the Empire: Towards a History of Kiribati and Tuvalu'', Institute of Pacific Studies, [[University of the South Pacific]], Suva, Fiji. {{ISBN|982-02-0335-X}} ([[Australian National University]] Press, first published 1982).
* Munro, D, Firth, S., (1986) ''Towards Colonial Protectorates: The Case of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands'', Australian Journal of Politics and History, 32: 63–71.
* Maude, H. E., (1949) ''The Co-operative Movement in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands'' (Technical Paper No. 1), South Pacific Commission, Sydney.
* Suamalie N.T. Iosefa, Doug Munro, Niko Besnier, (1991) ''Tala O Niuoku, Te: The German Plantation on Nukulaelae Atoll 1865–1890'', Published by the Institute of Pacific Studies. {{ISBN|9820200733}}.
* Pulekai A. Sogivalu, (1992) ''A Brief History of Niutao'', Published by the Institute of Pacific Studies. {{ISBN|982020058X}}.
{{refend}}

'''Language'''
{{Refbegin}}
* [http://www.mpp.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Tuvalu-Language-Week-Education-Resource-2016-FINAL.pdf ''Vaiaso ote Gana'', Tuvalu Language Week Education Resource 2016 (New Zealand Ministry for Pacific Peoples)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307164741/http://www.mpp.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Tuvalu-Language-Week-Education-Resource-2016-FINAL.pdf |date=7 March 2020 }}
* Besnier, Niko, (1995) ''Literacy, Emotion and Authority: Reading and Writing on a Polynesian Atoll'', Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0521485398}} {{ISBN|978-0521485395}}
* Besnier, Niko, (2000) ''Tuvaluan: A Polynesian Language of the Central Pacific. (Descriptive Grammars)'' Routledge {{ISBN|0415024560}} {{ISBN|978-0415024563}}.
* Jackson, Geoff W. & Jenny Jackson, (1999) ''An Introduction to Tuvaluan''. {{ISBN|9829027023}} {{ISBN|978-9829027023}}.
* Jackson, Geoff W., (1994) ''Te Tikisionale O Te Gana Tuvalu'', A Tuvaluan-English Dictionary, Suva, Fiji, Oceania Printers. ASIN: B0006F7FNY
* Kennedy, Donald Gilbert, ''Te ngangana a te Tuvalu – Handbook on the language of the Ellice Islands'' (1946) Websdale, Shoosmith, Sydney N.S.W.
{{refend}}

'''Music and dance'''
{{Refbegin}}
* Christensen, Dieter, (1964) ''Old Musical Styles in the Ellice Islands'', Western Polynesia, Ethnomusicology, 8:1, 34–40.
* Christensen, Dieter and [[Gerd Koch]], (1964) ''Die Musik der Ellice-Inseln'', Berlin: Museum fur Volkerkunde.
* [[Gerd Koch|Koch, Gerd]], (2000) ''Songs of Tuvalu'' (translated by Guy Slatter), Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific. {{ISBN|9820203147}} {{ISBN|978-9820203143}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|v=no|n=Category:Tuvalu|b=no|s=no|voy=Tuvalu|d=Q672|q=no}}
* ''[https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/linked-documents/cobp-tuv-2017-2019-ld-02.pdf Te Kakeega III – National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2016–2020]''
* [https://australiaawardsfijiandtuvalu.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Te-Kete-2021-2030-National-Development-Strategy.pdf ''Te Kete – National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2021–2030'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110516061641/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/tuvalu.htm Tuvalu] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16340072 Tuvalu profile] from the [[BBC News]]
* [https://tuvaluparadise.tv tuvaluparadise.tv website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107132209/https://tuvaluparadise.tv/ |date=7 January 2021 }} 
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/tuvalu/ Tuvalu]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* {{wikiatlas|Tuvalu}}

{{Tuvalu topics}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Related articles 
|list=
{{Polynesia}}
{{Countries and territories of Oceania}}
{{The Commonwealth}}
{{Commonwealth realms}}
{{Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)}}
}}

{{Portal bar|Tuvalu|Geography|Islands|Oceania}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|8|31|15|S|179|11|55|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Tuvalu| ]]
[[Category:1978 establishments in Oceania]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:British Western Pacific Territories]]
[[Category:Countries in Polynesia]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where English is an official language]]
[[Category:Island countries]]
[[Category:Least developed countries]]
[[Category:Islands of Oceania]]
[[Category:Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:Member states of the United Nations]]
[[Category:Small Island Developing States]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1978]]
[[Category:World War II sites]]
[[Category:Christian states]]
[[Category:Countries in Oceania]]