Part of the country series of articles.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: NORMAL PRECAUTIONSThe Commonwealth advises travellers to exercise normal precautions when travelling in this country. Travellers should familiarise themselves with local laws and customs and consular availability.
| Tuvalu | |
|---|---|
| British Protectorate | |
 |
|
| Capital | Funafuti |
| Languages | Tuvaluan, English |
| Population | 12,000 |
| Suzerain | United Kingdom |
Tuvalu consists of nine coral atolls in the central Pacific, home to about twelve thousand people and administered as a British protectorate under the residual authority retained from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. The highest point on Funafuti, the main atoll and capital, is approximately four metres above sea level. King tides that overtop the roads and flood the gardens are a regular feature of life across the archipelago.
The economy runs on fishing licences, British administrative transfers and remittances from Tuvaluans working abroad, principally as merchant mariners. Seafaring has been a significant source of household income for several generations; Tuvaluan men crew commercial and cargo vessels across the Pacific and Indian Ocean routes, and the remittances they send home sustain village economies that the islands’ limited agricultural capacity could not. Funafuti is a slender atoll wrapped around a large lagoon, with the main settlement denser than the population might suggest, as steady outer-island migration to the capital has continued for decades. Australia and New Zealand are the principal destinations for emigration, and managed migration arrangements with both countries are in negotiation.