1 city

Location of TuvaluTuvaluFunafuti
Country

Tuvalu

8.51° S, 179.21° E

At 10 km², only 1 country is smaller.

total area 10 km² · 234th/235
computed · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value

Population
11,646
Area
26 km²
Population density
≈ 1,165 / km²
Capital
Funafuti
Natural Earth
ISO codes
TV · TUV
GDP (nominal)
$62.28 million
GDP per capita (PPP)
$5,800
Compare with…Open on map
How big, reallyDrawn at the same scale as Vatican — the next country down in size. Equal-area projection, not the map you are used to.
Tuvalu 26 km²Vatican ≈ 1 km²

geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area

Where Tuvalu sits in the world

Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.

  1. Median age28.1 years152nd of 224 · median 32.6 years
  2. Life expectancy69 years180th of 224 · median 76.2 years
  3. Fertility rate2.76 children per woman53rd of 225 · median 1.92 children per woman
  4. Population11,646224th of 235 · median 5,454,073
  5. Total area26 km²225th of 228 · median 83,736 km²
  6. Coastline24 km182nd of 229 · median 402 km

Overview

Name

"Tuvalu" means "group of eight" or "eight standing together" in the language, referring to eight of nine islands; Nui was excluded because its inhabitants spoke a different language. The former name honored Canadian shipping company owner Alexander Ellice, whose ship visited the islands in 1819.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Geography

An island group of coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, Tuvalu lies about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The country consists of low-lying, narrow coral atolls. Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae have lagoons open to the ocean.

Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons, while Niulakita has no lagoon. Fish and coconut (copra) are natural resources. An unnamed location is the country's highest point. The Pacific Ocean is its lowest point.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Climate

Easterly trade winds moderate Tuvalu's tropical climate from March to November. From November to March, westerly gales bring heavy rain.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Flag and symbols

Light blue, the flag carries the UK flag in its upper-left quadrant and nine five-pointed yellow stars on its right half. The stars represent a map of the country, with each symbolizing an atoll in the ocean. The national symbol is the maneapa, a native meeting house.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Key figures

CIA World Factbook

Economy

GDP (nominal)
$62.28 million
GDP (PPP)
$57.06 million
GDP per capita (PPP)
$5,800
GDP growth
+3.9%
Inflation (consumer prices)
11.5%
Exports
$2.23 million
Imports
$57.39 million

People

Life expectancy
69 years
Median age
28.1 years
Birth rate
21.57 per 1,000
Death rate
7.78 per 1,000
Fertility rate
2.76 children per woman
Population growth
+0.75% a year
Urban population
66.2%
Literacy
100%
Languages
  • Tuvaluanofficial
  • Englishofficial
  • Samoan
  • Kiribati
Religions
  • Protestant92.7%Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu 85.9%, Brethren 2.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.5%, Assemblies of God 1.5%
  • Baha'i1.5%
  • Jehovah's Witness1.5%
  • other0.4%

Land

Total area
26 km²Land 26 km² · Water 0 km²
Coastline
24 km
Land borders
0 km
Mean elevation
2 m
Highest point
5 m unnamed location

Values from the CIA World Factbook archive. Each carries the year it describes; open a year for the exact source field.

Connections

Within
Contains

Natural geography 1

Natural Earth outlines · features with a Wikidata ID

Oceans 1

Largest cities 1

Population · Natural Earth

  1. Funafuticapital4.7K

Sources