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Tuvalu Islands...Danger, will be disappearing due to rising sea level, this tiny country

formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls. Its population of 12,373 makes it the third-least-populated sovereign state in the world, with only Vatican City and Nauru having fewer inhabitants. In terms of physical land size, at just 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi) Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world, larger only than the Vatican City at 0.44 km2 (0.17 sq mi), Monaco at 1.95 km2 (0.75 sq mi) and Nauru at 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi).

 

The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesian people. The islands came under the UK's sphere of influence in the late 19th century. The Ellice Islands were administered by Britain as part of a protectorate from 1892 to 1916 and as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony from 1916 to 1974. In 1974, the Ellice Islanders voted for separate British dependency status as Tuvalu, separating from the Gilbert Islands which became Kiribati upon independence. Tuvalu became fully independent within the Commonwealth in 1978.

 

History

Tuvaluans are a Polynesian people who settled the islands around 3000 years ago coming from Tonga and Samoa. During pre-European-contact times there was frequent canoe voyaging between the nearer islands. Eight of the nine islands of Tuvalu were inhabited; thus the name, Tuvalu, means "eight standing together" in Tuvaluan. Possible evidence of fire in the Caves of Nanumanga may indicate human occupation thousands of years before that.

 

Tuvalu was first sighted by Europeans in 1568 with the arrival of Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira from Spain who also encountered the island of Nui (atoll) but was unable to land. The next Europeans to appear did not do so until the late 1700s when explorers reached the area. By the early 1800s, whalers were roving the Pacific though visiting Tuvalu only infrequently because of the difficulties of landing ships on the atolls. No settlements had been established by them

Peruvian slave raiders ("blackbirders") combed the Pacific between 1862 and 1864 and Tuvalu was one of the hardest-hit Pacific island groups with over 400 people taken from Funafuti and Nukulaelae.

In 1892 the islands became part of the British protectorate known as the Ellice Islands. The protectorate was incorporated into the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony in 1916. In 1943, during World War II, Tuvalu was selected as an operations base for Allied forces battling the Japanese in the Pacific. Thousands of marines were stationed there until December 1945.

 

In 1974 ethnic differences within the colony caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands (to become Kiribati). The following year the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978.

 

Tuvalu Independence Day is celebrated on 1 October. In 1979 Tuvalu signed a treaty of friendship with the United States that recognised Tuvalu's rightful possession of four small islands formerly claimed by the United States.

As low-lying islands, lacking a surrounding shallow shelf, the island communities of Tuvalu are especially susceptible to changes in sea level and storm patterns that hit the island undissipated. It is estimated that a sea level rise of 20–40 centimetres (8–16 inches) in the next 100 years could make Tuvalu uninhabitable. The South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) suggests that while Tuvalu is vulnerable to climate change there are additional environmental problems such as population growth and poor coastal management that are affecting sustainable development on the island. SOPAC ranks the country as extremely vulnerable using the Environmental Vulnerability Index. While some commentators have called for the relocation of the population of Tuvalu to Australia, New Zealand, or Kioa (Fiji), the former Prime Minister Maatia Toafa said his government did not regard rising sea levels as such a threat that the entire population would need to be evacuated. In spite of persistent Internet rumours that New Zealand has agreed to accept an annual quota of 75 evacuees, the annual residence quota of 75 Tuvaluans under the Pacific Access Category (and 50 places for people from Kiribati) replaced the previous Work Schemes from the two countries and are not related to environmental concerns.

 

Tuvalu's small population is distributed across nine islands, five of which are atolls. The smallest island, Niulakita, was uninhabited until it was resettled by people from Niutao in 1949.

 

Local government districts consisting of more than one islet:

 

Funafuti

Nanumea

Nui

Nukufetau

Nukulaelae

Vaitupu

Local government districts consisting of only one island:

 

Nanumanga

Niulakita

Niutao

 

Geography

Tuvalu consists of four reef islands and five true atolls. Its small, scattered group of atolls has poor soil and a total land area of only about 26 square kilometres (less than 10 sq. mi.) making it the fourth smallest country in the world. The land is very low lying with narrow coral atolls. Funafuti is the largest atoll of the nine low reef islands and atolls that form the Tuvalu volcanic island chain. It comprises numerous islets around a central lagoon that is approximately 25.1 kilometres (15.6 mi) (N–S) by 18.4 kilometres (11.4 mi) (W-E), centred on 179°7’E and 8°30’S. An annular reef rim surrounds the lagoon, with several natural reef channels.

 

The highest elevation is 4.5 metres (15 ft) above sea level, which gives Tuvalu the second-lowest maximum elevation of any country (after the Maldives). Because of this low elevation, the islands that make up this nation may be threatened by any future sea level rise. Under such circumstances, the population may evacuate to New Zealand, Niue or the Fijian island of Kioa. Additionally, Tuvalu is affected by what is known as a king tide, which can raise the sea level higher than a normal high tide. In the future, this may threaten to submerge the nation entirely. Tuvalu has very poor land and the soil is hardly usable for agriculture. Tuvalu has westerly gales and heavy rain from November to March and tropical temperatures moderated by easterly winds from March to November.

 

Climate change

At its highest, Tuvalu is only 4.5 m above sea level, and officials have been concerned about the effects of rising sea levels for some years At the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December 2009, Tuvalu's spokesman Ian Fry was one of the strongest critics of the final document stating "It looks like we are being offered 30 pieces of silver to betray our people and our future"

 

Oficial name:

Tuvalu

 

Independence :

1 October 1978

 

Area:

25.63 km2

 

...........................Population...........Area

Funafuti island.............4.492......2,80km2

Nanumaga island............590......2,78km2

Nanumea island..............664......3,87km2

Niulatika island.................35......0,42km2

Niutao island..................663.......2,53km2

Nui island.......................548.......2,83km2

Nukufetau island.............586.......2,99km2

Nukulaelae island...........393........1,82km2

Vaitapu island.............1,591........5,60km2

 

Inhabitants:

9.500

 

Languages:

Kiribati [gil] 870 in Tuvalu (1987). Nui, a northern island. Alternate names: Gilbertese, Ikiribati. Dialects: Nui (Nuian). Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Micronesian, Micronesian Proper, Ikiribati

More information.

 

Tuvaluan [tvl] 10,670 in Tuvalu (1998). Population total all countries: 13,051. Tuvalu, 7 of the 9 inhabited islands. Also spoken in Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand. Alternate names: Ellice, Ellicean, Tuvalu. Dialects: North Tuvaluan (Nanumanga, Nanumea, Niutao), South Tuvaluan (Nukufetau, Vaitupu, Funafuti, Nukulaelae). Not intelligible with Samoan, which was formerly used as a mission language. Tuvalu is intelligible with Tokelau. The southern dialect is official. Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear, Samoic-Outlier, Ellicean

 

Capital city:

Funafuti

 

Meaning country name:

From the native "eight islands" or "eight standing with each other" (Tuvalu actually consists of nine isands in Tuvalu - only eight of them traditionally inhabited). An earlier name, Niulakita, the name of the first atoll settled in 1949, became suppressed.

Ellice Islands (former name): named after Edward Ellice, a British politician and merchant, by Captain Arent de Peyster, who sighted the islands in 1819 sailing on the ship Rebecca. Ellice owned the cargo of the ship. The Ellice Islands received the name Tuvalu following a vote for secession from the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati) in 1975/1976.

 

Description Flag:

The current Flag of Tuvalu was instated when the country became independent in 1978, after the separation from the Gilberts in 1976. Like many former and current British dependencies, the Tuvaluan flag is a light blue ensign based on the Union Flag, which is shown in the upper left canton of the flag. The previous flag (with the Gilberts) was also based on the Union Flag but with the coat of arms created by Sir Arthur Grimble in 1932, the resident commissioner of the British colony.

The stars represent the 9 islands of which Tuvalu is made up; the arrangement is geographically correct when the flag is hung from the hoist down (because of the astronomical position in the sky).

In 1995 the flag was replaced with a new one which was not based on the British flag, and also represented the islands with stars. This flag, however, was not liked by the inhabitants, who felt that it was a move towards replacing the popular British monarchy with a republic. The old flag was re-instated in 1997, with some minor changes.

 

Coat of arms:

The coat of arms of Tuvalu shows a shield with a golden border, which is decorated in a pattern with eight mussels and eight banana leaves. The shield itself shows a hut beneath a blue sky on green grounds. Beneath the ground are stylized depictions in blue and gold of ocean waves.

Beneath the shield stands a banner with the Tuvaluan inscription Tuvalu mo te Atua, which translates "Tuvalu for the Almighty" and additionally serves as the title of the Tuvaluan national anthem.

 

Motto:

"Tuvalu mo te Atua"

 

National Anthem: Tuvalu mo te Atua

 

Tuvaluan

 

Tuvalu mo te Atua

Ko te Fakavae sili,

Ko te alu foki tena,

O te manuia katoa;

Loto lasi o fai,

Tou malo saoloto;

Fusi ake katoa

Ki te loto alofa;

Kae amo fakatasi

Ate atu fenua.

"Tuvalu mo te Atua"

Ki te se gata mai!

Tuku atu tau pulega

Ki te pule mai luga,

Kilo tonu ki ou mua

Me ko ia e tautai.

"Pule tasi mo ia"

Ki te se gata mai,

Ko tena mana

Ko tou malosi tena.

Pati lima kae kalaga

Ulufonu ki te tupu.

"Tuvalu ko tu saoloto"

Ki te se gata mai!

 

English lyrics

 

Tuvalu for the Almighty

Are the words we hold most dear;

For as people or as leaders

Of Tuvalu we all share

In the knowledge that God

Ever rules in heav'n above,

And that we in this land

Are united in His love.

We build on a sure foundation

When we trust in God's great law;

"Tuvalu for the Almighty"

Be our song for evermore!

Let us trust our lives henceforward

To the King to whom we pray,

With our eyes fixed firmly on Him

He is showing us the way.

"May we reign with Him in glory"

Be our song for evermore,

for His almighty power

Is our strength from shore to shore.

Shout aloud in jubilation

To the King whom we adore.

"Tuvalu free and united"

Be our song for evermore!

 

Internet Page: www.gov.tv

www.tuvaluislands.com

www.timelesstuvalu.com

 

Tuvalu in diferent languages

 

eng | afr | ast | bre | cat | ces | cor | dan | dsb | est | eus | fao | fin | fra | frp | fur | glg | glv | hrv | hsb | hun | ibo | ina | ita | jav | jnf | lav | lin | lit | lld | mlt | nld | nor | oci | pol | por | roh | ron | rup | scn | slk | slv | sme | smg | spa | sqi | srd | swa | swe | tah | tet | tkl | ton | tpi | tur | tvl | vor | wol | zza: Tuvalu

aze | bos | crh | kaa | mol | slo | uzb: Tuvalu / Тувалу

deu | ltz | nds: Tuvalu / Tuvalu

bam | que: Tuwalu

hat | wln: Touvalou

ind | msa: Tuvalu / توۏالو

arg: Tuvalu; Tubalu

cym: Twfalu

epo: Tuvalo

fry: Tûvalû

gla: Tubhalu

gle: Tuvalú / Tuvalú

isl: Túvalú

kmr: Tûvalû / Тувалу / تووڤالوو

kur: Tûvalû / تووڤالوو

lat: Tuvalum; Insulae Tuvaluae; Tuvalu

mlg: Tovalo

nrm: Tuvalou

rmy: Tuvalu / तुवालु

tuk: Tuwalu / Тувалу

vie: Tu-va-lu

vol: Tuvaluäns

alt | bul | che | chm | chv | kbd | kir | kjh | kom | krc | kum | mkd | mon | oss | rus | tyv | udm | ukr: Тувалу (Tuvalu)

bak | srp | tat: Тувалу / Tuvalu

abq: Тувалу (Tuvału)

bel: Тувалу / Tuvału

kaz: Тувалу / Twvalw / تۋۆالۋ

tgk: Тувалу / توولو / Tuvalu

ara: توفالو (Tūfālū)

fas: تووالو / Tuvâlu

prs: تووالو (Tūvālū)

pus: تووالو (Tūwālū)

uig: تۇۋالۇ / Tuwalu / Тувалу

urd: ٹووالو (Ṫūvālū); تووالو (Tūvālū)

div: ޓުވާލޫ (Ṫuvālū)

heb: טובלו (Ṭûṿalû); טובאלו (Ṭûṿâlû)

lad: טוב'אלו / Tuvalu

yid: טוּװאַלו (Tuvalu)

amh: ቱቫሉ (Tuvalu)

ell-dhi: Τουβαλού (Toyvaloý)

ell-kat: Τουβαλοῦ (Toyvaloỹ)

hye: Տուվալու (Touvalou); Թուվալու (Ṭouvalou)

kat: ტუვალუ (Tuvalu)

hin: तुवालु (Tuvālu)

ben: টুভালু (Ṭubʰālu)

pan: ਟੂਵਾਲੂ (Ṭūvālū)

kan: ತುವಾಲು (Tuvālu)

mal: ടുവാലു (Ṭuvālu); തുവാലു (Tuvālu)

tam: துவாலு (Tuvālu); துவாலூ (Tuvālū)

tel: తువాలు (Tuvālu)

zho: 圖瓦盧/图瓦卢 (Túwǎlú)

jpn: トゥヴァル (Tuvaru); ツバル (Tsubaru)

kor: 투발루 (Tuballu)

mya: တူဗလူး (Tubálù)

tha: ตูวาลู (Tūwālū)

khm: ទុយវ៉ាលុយ (Tuyvāluy); ទូវ៉ាលូ (Tūvālū)

 

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Uploaded on March 5, 2010