Discover Tuvalu: 10 Unforgettable Fun Facts About This Hidden Pacific Paradise

1. Twister-Tight Territory

If you think playing Twister can get crowded, imagine fitting an entire country onto just nine pieces of land: Tuvalu's entire territory is composed of a mere nine islands and six atolls, making it the world champ of slender real estate!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Underwater Atlantis

Move over, Atlantis: Tuvalu's taking over the underwater scene! This tiny nation's coral reefs are no ordinary atolls, but rather a collection of three reef islands and six atolls that account for about 710 km2 (270 sq mi) of stunning reef platforms. Unlike their atoll cousins, these islands ditched the lagoon lifestyle and opted for a completely closed rim of dry land, with hints of a bygone lagoon that's now filled up with coral debris – making it the ocean's best-kept secret for snorkelers and scuba divers alike.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Discover how bowerbirds upstage Tinderbirds with their amazing fella pads, complete with optical illusions and blue bling to woo their mates. You won't believe their eye for detail!

=> Fun Facts about Australia

3. Tuvalu's Football Splash

They may not have "kicked it with the big boys" yet, but Tuvalu's national football team certainly knows how to make waves: In 2007, they became the first non-FIFA member to participate in an official World Cup qualifying match during the South Pacific Games, even showing up at the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. VideOholic Domain

Move over .com, here comes .tv – the sensational domain suffix making waves in the cyber seas, inadvertently turning the tiny nation of Tuvalu into an online "videOholic" paradise: Tuvalu marketed its unique internet domain name ".tv" for television or video-related sites, but in their 2019 national budget, only 8.4% of their revenue actually comes from the royalties earned, proving that this small island nation isn't quite living "The Truman Show" life to its fullest.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Tuvaluan Fashion Forward

Step aside, Coco Chanel - Tuvaluans have been rocking double-skirts, headbands, and fashion-forward accessories long before the little black dress became a thing: Tuvaluans traditionally wear te titi tao over another skirt called titi kaulama, along with head garlands, armbands, and wristbands, as they break it down in their famed dance style called fatele, performed at weddings, community events, and even to welcome notable visitors to their shores.
Source => southpacificislands.travel

6. Tuvalu Tuesdays and Thursdays

Who needs the chaos of Black Friday when you can shop leisurely during Tuvalu Tuesdays and Thursdays: The Tuvalu Women's Handicraft Centre, the nation's sole souvenir store, opens merely twice a week when flights touch down at the Funafuti Airport, offering exquisite handicrafts made by female artisans using traditional Polynesian techniques and materials like coconut palms, butterfly pandanus, and hibiscus plants.
Source => atlasobscura.com

7. Sinking Starchy Ship

"In Tuvalu, carbs are a sinking ship: their beloved pulaka – a starchy root veggie – faces threats from rising sea levels and changing lifestyles. While modern Tuvaluans enjoy a British-influenced, imported-food fiesta, their traditional diet of pulaka, seafood, bananas, breadfruit, and coconut battles health issues like diabetes and hypertension, as they wave goodbye to their old agricultural ways with soil-pitted pulaka and coconut tree farming."
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Nautical Numismatic Treasures

In a nautical numismatic twist that would make any mermaid's purse feel weighted down: Tuvalu released its own set of ocean-inspired coins in 1976, including a uniquely shaped nonagonal 1 dollar piece that showcased all nine islands in its coral curves. Tuvalu's coins bob along just fine with the Australian dollar's current, but you won't see any Tuvaluvian banknotes riding the waves, as they've stuck with Aussie bills.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. Tuvalu's Spotify Substitute

Who needs Spotify when you've got Radio Tuvalu: broadcasting from the idyllic atoll of Funafuti, this radio station keeps the rhythm flowing across all nine islands of Tuvalu, thanks to a fancy AM transmitter installed in 2011, and even rolls out special broadcasts during general elections.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. Fishing for Stability

Ahoy, Captain! Tuvalu, the tiny island nation with a tight-knit fishing squad, reels in economic stability like it's gold doubloons from Davey Jones' locker: More than 45% of their GDP comes from fishing licenses paid by surrounding countries, while Tuvaluan sailors send financial treasures back home, working on foreign ships across the high seas.
Source => en.wikipedia.org