Tuvalu Geography - 2024

Location

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Map references

Oceania

Area

total: 26 sq km

land: 26 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Area comparison map:

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

24 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Terrain

low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Elevation

highest point: unnamed location 5 m

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 2 m

Natural resources

fish, coconut (copra)

Land use

agricultural land: 60% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 60% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 33.3% (2018 est.)

other: 6.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Population distribution

over half of the population resides on the atoll of Funafuti

Natural hazards

severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low levels of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

Geography - note

one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon