Tuvalu
Tuvalu, 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. Tuvalu is one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth.
"Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands. It is comprised of four reef islands and five true atolls, Six of its coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon.
AREA: 26 square kilometers
POPULATION: The island population has more than doubled since 1980 and was estimated to reach 11,810 in July 2006.
LANGUAGES: Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui). The Tuvaluan language is spoken by virtually everyone, while Gilbertese is spoken by some people on Nui. English is also an official language, but is not spoken in daily use.
ETHNIC GROUPS: Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%
LITERACY LEVELS: Information not available
For more information about Tuvalu:
http://www.worldfactsite.com/Country/Tuvalu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu
http://www.spto.org/tu/000.htm
