Tuvalu
A low-lying nation on the front line of climate change
Tuvalu is one of the smallest and most remote countries in the world, a chain of nine tiny coral atolls and reef islands in the central Pacific with a total land area of just 26 square kilometers. Barely rising above the sea, it has become a global symbol of the threat posed by climate change, its leaders warning that rising oceans could submerge the nation within decades. With one of the smallest populations and economies of any country, Tuvalu sustains itself partly through fishing licenses and the lease of its internet domain. Funafuti is the capital atoll.
The entire country consists of low coral atolls and reef islands, none rising more than about 4.6 meters above sea level, which makes Tuvalu one of the lowest-lying nations on Earth. There are no rivers or streams, and fresh water comes mostly from rainfall. The climate is tropical, hot and humid, and the islands are increasingly battered by storm surges, king tides, and saltwater intrusion that contaminates soil and groundwater. The surrounding ocean, rich in tuna, is the country's greatest economic asset.
Polynesians settled the atolls long before Europeans arrived. Administered with the Gilbert Islands as part of a British colony, the Ellice Islands voted to separate and became independent Tuvalu in 1978. The micro-state survives on fishing revenue, remittances, aid, and royalties from the lucrative .tv internet domain. Tuvalu has become a leading voice in international climate diplomacy and has even begun creating a digital version of itself, preserving its territory and culture online against the possibility that the physical nation may one day disappear.