1. TUVALU (VAIAKU - FUNAFUTI ATOLL)
Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. It comprises three reef islands and six atolls. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. Tuvalu has a population of about 11,000. The total land area of the islands of Tuvalu is only 26 square kilometres ! Migration rate, mainly to New Zealand, is steady, but, although Tuvalu is well known for being the most affected nation in the world by climate change, the threat of global warming in Tuvalu is not a dominant motivation for migration as Tuvaluans appear to prefer to continue living on the islands for reasons of lifestyle, culture and identity.
Funafuti is the main atoll on which the ‘capital’ is located. Funafuti has a population of about 6,000 people and is the most populated atoll with more than half of Tuvalu's population. It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide, the largest lagoon in Tuvalu. The land area of the 33 islets of the atoll is only 2.4 square kilometres.
The capital of Tuvalu (one of the less populated and less developed in the world), located on Fongafale islet, is sometimes given as Fongafale or Vaiaku, but the entire atoll of Funafuti is officially the capital. As Funafuti is an atoll, cargo ships can enter the lagoon and dock at the port facilities on Fongafale.
Dominique LAURENT
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4. Above : Funafuti International Airport (!)
Right : maybe the smallest duty free shop in the world

5. Funafuti International Airport traffic is very very low
Funafuti International Airport traffic is very very low ! The airstrip is used by motorbikes and for playing football.

6. Left : the Prime Minister is delivering a speech at a function
Vaiaku Lagi Hotel Administrative Building
Above : downtown Vaiaku with the main hotel of Tuvalu (quite basic) and the recent Administrative Building
Left : the Prime Minister is delivering a speech at a function

7. Administrative Building (the only ‘modern’ and highest buiding in town)

9. Government House

11. Left :Tuvalu National Library
Bottom : National Bank of Tuvalu

12. Town Council
…. and that’s it for the important buildings of Vaiaku !

13. Above : University of the South Pacfic has a very very tiny branch in Tuvalu …
Right : the Primary School

14. CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENT

16. One of the most obvious environmental problem in Tuvalu is the lack of garbage disposal : while traditional throw-away attitudes remain, there is an increasing dependence on imported packaged food. Garbage is everywhere !

17. Protecting the coast line (lagoon side)

18. Nearly destroyed protection of the coast line (lagoon side)

20. Coastal erosion : this tree is condemned

21. Houses are built on stilts (because of more and more frequent high tides)

22. The eastern shoreline of Funafuti lagoon was modified during WWII when the airfield was constructed. The coral base of the atoll was used as fill to create the runway. The resulting ‘borrow pits’, such as this one, impacted the fresh- water aquifer. In the low areas of Funafuti, the sea water can be seen bubbling up through the porous coral rock to form pools with each high tide.] In 2014, the Tuvalu Borrow Pits Remediation project started : it consists of transporting sand from the lagoon to fill the borrow pits and low-lying areas.

23. At first, a protective plastic sheet is placed to prevent salt water to seep thru.

24. Sand is dredged in the lagoon and transported to fill the borrow pits.

25. Coastal erosion (lagoon side)

26. Lagoon Pacific Ocean
A narrow sweep of land (north of Vaiaku) on the way to the northern tip of Fongafale islet

27. Coastal erosion (ocean side))

28. Coastal erosion (ocean side)

29. A pigsty on the ocean side (houses are on the lagoon side or in the middle of the island ; there is only pigsties and very few houses on the dangerous ocean side).

33. PEOPLE & LIFESTYLE

34. A ‘maneapa’ (meeting house, ubiquitous in each hamlet)

35. Dancing in the ‘maneapa’

36. Locals move around mainly by motorbikes

37. The only gas station (not very busy …)

42. A ’fale’ : Tuvaluans live in ‘fale’ which have coral floors or raised wooden platforms (such as this one), a way of enjoying breeze and escaping from the heat (day & night)

43. A ‘fale ’

44. No supermarkets of course, just a few shops like that one

45. Traditional outrigger

46. Traditional outrigger

47. TOMBS & RELIGIOUS PLACES
Tombs are scattered everywhere and are nearby the houses. There are also a few colourful cemeteries.
Churches of all kind are represented.

52. Funeral

53. Adventist Church

55. ’Drum’ for calling for mass or other events

57. Baha’i Temple

59. HARBOUR & HISTORY

60. Main jetty

63. WWII relic : the ‘Ellice Islands’ (former name of Tuvalu) were fortified by the US and never invaded by Japan (except Banaba). US forces set up base on Funafuti from where they were able to bomb Japanese bases in Kiribati, Nauru and the Marshall Islands.

64. David’s Drill : this site is the place where, late in the 19th century, coral-drilling expeditions from England came to Funafuti to investigate Darwin’s theory of atoll formation (coral atolls are built on slowly sinking volcanic rocks)

65. NATURE

71. Northern end of Fongafale Islet