Islands of Tuvalu

Tuvalu consists of nine separate islands, six of which are atolls and three are reef islands. Since an atoll typically consists of several islets, there is a total of more than 124 islands and islets. Each island is surrounded by a coral reef.

The three reef islands are actually atolls, although they have a completely closed rim of dry land, with a lagoon that has no connection to the open sea or that may be drying up as the result of coral debris filling the lagoon. For example, Niutao For example, Niutao has two lakes, which are brackish to saline; and are the degraded lagoon.

The islands of Tuvalu are spread out between the latitude of 5° to 10° south and longitude of 176° to 180°, west of the International Date Line.

The name, Tuvalu, means "eight standing together" in Tuvaluan.

The smallest island, Niulakita, which is the 9th island in the Tuvaluan archipelago, was not continuously inhabited. From the late 19th century it had been in private ownership. It was bought by the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony administration in 1944. The administration gave people from Vaitupu permission to settle Niulakita. However, in 1949 a later administration decided to have Niulakita settled by the community from Niutao, which was considered to be overpopulated. The removal of the Vaitupuans was controversial. Niulakita is a separate local government district but it is administered as part of Niutao. Niulakita is represented in the Parliament of Tuvalu by the members of the constituency of Niutao.

At least 11 islands are inhabited, expanded over the biggest isles of the nine atolls, plus two islands in Funafuti.

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