Tuvalu, formerly known as the
Ellice Islands,
is a
Polynesian island nation located in the
Pacific Ocean, midway between
Hawaii and
Australia. It comprises four
reef islands and five true
atolls spread out from 6° to 10° south.
Its nearest neighbours are
Kiribati,
Nauru,
Samoa and
Fiji. Its population of 10,544 makes it the third-least populous
sovereign state in the world, with only
Vatican City and
Nauru having fewer inhabitants. In terms of physical land size, at just 26 square kilometres Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world, larger only than the
Vatican City at 0.44 km2,
Monaco at 1.98 km2 and
Nauru at 21 km2.