Tuvalu

Where the name comes from

Tuvalu means “eight standing together” in Tuvaluan, for its eight traditionally inhabited islands; the ninth, Niulakita, was settled later.

First people

Polynesian settlement linked these islands with Samoa and nearby archipelagos.¹

Known for

Tuvalu is one of the world’s smallest countries and earns money from its internet domain, .tv; its 2023 constitution says it will remain a state even if rising seas destroy its land.^2,3,4

Outside contact

Britain made the islands a protectorate in 1892 and joined them with the Gilbert Islands in one colony in 1916.¹

The modern country

They separated in 1975 and became independent in 1978.¹