📰 Funafuti · page 2

The geological significance of Funafuti in testing Darwin's theory was recognised in October 2022, when the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the atoll in its list of 100 'geological heritage sites' worldwide.[51]76

Funafuti, the capital atoll of Tuvalu, has become a focal point for global discussions on climate change and its impacts on low-lying island nations.77 With an average elevation of just two metres above sea level, Funafuti faces existential threats from rising sea levels, making it a critical site for understanding the intersection of environmental vulnerability, adaptation efforts, and international cooperation.[52]78

Tuvalu's vulnerability is underscored by projections indicating that by 2050, half of Funafuti could be submerged during high tides, with up to 95% potentially flooded by 2100.79 This situation has led to significant environmental challenges, including the contamination of freshwater sources and the degradation of agricultural land.80 In response, the government has initiated several adaptation projects, notably the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project (TCAP), which aims to protect vulnerable shorelines and reclaim land to mitigate the effects of sea-level rise.81

Geography

Islands

There are at least 29 islets in the Funafuti atoll.[1]82 The largest is Fongafale, followed by Funafala.83 At least three of these islets are inhabited: Fongafale (the main island) in the east, Funafala in the south, and Amatuku in the north.84

• Amatuku85
• Avalau86
• Falaoigo87
• Fale Fatu (or Falefatu)88
• Fatato89
• Fongafale90
• Fuafatu91
• Fuagea92
• Fualefeke (or Fualifeke)93
• Fualopa94
• Funafala95
• Funamanu96
• Luamotu97
• Mateika98
• Motugie99
• Motuloa100
• Mulitefala101
• Papa Elise (or Funangongo)102
• Te Afuafou103
• Te Afualiku104
• Tefala105
• Telele106
• Tengako (peninsula of the island of Fongafale)107
• Tengasu108
• Tepuka109
• Tepuka Vili Vili110
• Tutanga111
• Vasafua112

Villages

The district of Funafuti comprises nine villages on six islets, with four of the villages located on Fongafale.113 Many islands only contain one village.114 Their populations as of the 2012 census are listed below:[3]115

• Name; Population116
• Islet; Village117
• Amatuku; 128118
• Fongafale; Alapi; 1,029119
• Fakaifou; 1,158120
• Senala; 1,207121
• Vaiaku; 638122
• Lofeagai; 627123
• Tekavatoetoe; 650124
• Teone; 570125
• Funafala; 50126

Lagoon

The Funafuti atoll's lagoon (Te Namo in Tuvaluan) is 24.5 km (15 miles) long, north to south, and 17.5 km (10 miles) wide, east to west, and has an area of 275 km2 (106 sq. mi.), making it by far the largest lagoon in the nation of Tuvalu.127 It is about 52 metre deep in some places, but only 6 metre deep in other places (because it has several submerged rocks and reefs along its bottom, some of which are close to the surface).128 The deepest basin is in the northern part of the lagoon (the maximum recorded depth is 54.7 metre, while the southern part of the lagoon has a very narrow, shallow basin.[53]129 The Funafuti Conservation Area is located 15 km across the lagoon from the main island of Fongafale, and is accessed by boat.130

Landmarks

Tausoa Lima Falekaupule is the traditional meeting house on Funafuti.131 Tausoalima means "hand of friendship" and Falekaupule means "traditional island meeting hall."132 There is the Funafuti Lagoon Hotel, and other guesthouses as well as homes, constructed both in the traditional manner, out of palm fronds, and more recently out of cement blocks.133 The most prominent building on Funafuti atoll is the Fētu'ao Lima (Morning Star Church) of the Church of Tuvalu.134

Other sites of interest are the remains of Japanese aircraft that crashed on Funafuti during World War II.135 The airfield was constructed during World War II by American troops for the Pacific Theater.136 After the war, it was adapted to serve as the Funafuti International Airport, which serves both as the airstrip for the flights from Fiji corpus as well as providing a place for sporting and other recreational activities.137

A major sporting event is the "Independence Day Sports Festival", held annually at Fongafale on 1 October.138 The most important sports event within the country is arguably the Tuvalu Games, which are held yearly since 2008, with teams coming to Funafuti from the outer islands to compete in the games.[54]139 Football in Tuvalu is played at club and national team level.140 The Tuvalu national football team trains at the Tuvalu Sports Ground on Funafuti and competes in the Pacific Games and South Pacific Games.141

The Parliament of Tuvalu or Palamene o Tuvalu is located on Fongafale, together with the offices of the government departments and the government agencies, including the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation, National Bank of Tuvalu, Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau, Tuvalu Meteorological Service, Tuvalu National Library and Archives and the Tuvalu Media Department that operates Radio Tuvalu.142 The police service has its headquarters and the jail on Fongafale.143 The High Court of Tuvalu is also located on Fongafale.144

The Princess Margaret Hospital, the only hospital in Tuvalu, is located on Fongafale.145

The installed PV capacity in Funafuti in 2020 was 735 kW compared to 1800 kW of diesel (16% penetration).[55]146

Climate

Funafuti has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af).147 Because it experiences frequent cyclones, it is not considered to have an equatorial climate.148 It sees an extraordinary amount of rainfall throughout the year and has no dry season: the town has no month in which less than 200 mm rain falls, and an average of about 3500 mm of precipitation annually.149 As is common in many areas with a tropical rainforest climate, the temperature varies little during the year; average daily temperatures hover around 28 C year-round.150 When comparing seasonal weathers, summer (December to February) is the wettest season, while winter (June to August) is the driest season.151 Autumn (March to May) is the “hottest” season, and summer is the “coldest” season.152 However, autumn averages are only 0.3 degrees Celsius hotter than summer averages.153

Transportation

Funafuti International Airport is located on Fongafale.154

Fiji Airways, the owner of Fiji Airlines (trading as Fiji Link) operates air transport services three times per week (on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) between Suva corpus and Funafuti.155 The flights originate in Nadi, and use ATR 72-600 aircraft, which can carry up to 68 passengers.156

Fongafale has port facilities and two passenger/cargo ships, Nivaga III and Manu Folau, which make roundtrips between Fongafale and the outer islands about once every three or four weeks, and also travel between Suva corpus, Fiji,[56] and Funafuti about three or four times a year.157

In 2015 the Japanese government donated the Nivaga III, to Tuvalu, to replace the Nivaga II, which had served Tuvalu since 1989.[57]158

Politics

The Funafuti Falekaupule is the local council, with the Kaupule as the executive of the Falekaupule.[58]159 On Fongafale, the Funafuti Kaupule is responsible for approvals of the construction of houses or extension to an existing buildings on private land and the Lands Management Committee is the responsible authority in relation to lands leased by Government.[59]160

Funafuti is one of the eight constituencies in Tuvalu, and elects two members of parliament.161 The 2024 general election in Tuvalu resulted in the re-election of Simon Kofe, the election of Tuafafa Latasi, and the defeat of incumbent Kausea Natano.[60][61]162

Education

Four tertiary institutions on Funafuti 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.[62]163

There are two junior schools, the Seventh Day Adventist Primary School and Nauti Primary School, which, combined, have a register of more than 900 pupils.164 This makes it the largest primary school in Tuvalu (with 45 per cent of the total primary school enrollment).[63]165

The Church of Tuvalu operates Fetuvalu Secondary School.[64][65]166 The University of the South Pacific (USP)[66] Extension Centre on Funafuti operates the Augmented Foundation Programme for sixth form students who pass their Pacific Secondary School Certificate (PSSC) so that students have the opportunity to enroll in tertiary education programmes outside of Tuvalu.167 The Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute (TMTI) is located on the islet of Amatuku.168

Notable people

• Sir Toaripi Lauti, (28 November 1928 – 25 May 2014): first Chief Minister of the Ellice Islands (from 2 October 1975 to 1 October 1978); first Prime Minister of Tuvalu (from 1 October 1978 to 8 September 1981); third Governor General of Tuvalu (from 1 October 1990 to 1 December 1993).169
• Sir Kamuta Latasi, (born 1936): fourth Prime Minister of Tuvalu (from 1993 to 1996); Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu (2006 to September 2010, and December 2010 to March 2014).170
• Kausea Natano (born 5 July 1957)[67] was the 13th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (from 19 September 2019 to 26 February 2024).171 He represented Funafuti as a Member of Parliament from the 2002 Tuvaluan general election until the 2024 Tuvaluan general election.[60][61]172

See also

Funafuti Conservation Area

History of Tuvalu

List of Guano Island claims

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Further reading

Hedley, Charles (1896). "General account of the Atoll of Funafuti". Australian Museum Memoir.

Kench, Thompson, Ford, Ogawa and McLean (2015). "GSA DATA REPOSITORY 2015184 (Changes in planform characteristics of 29 islands located on Funafuti's atoll rim)". The Geological Society of America.

Lambert, Sylvester M.. "Young woman, member of the O'Brien family, Funafuti, Tuvalu". Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.