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Funafuti is anatoll, comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital ofTuvalu.[1][2] As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people.[3] More people live in Funafuti than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 60% of the nation's population. The main islet,Fongafale, hostsVaiaku, the administrative center of the nation.
Funafuti was first sighted by Europeans in 1819 byArent Schuyler de Peyster, an American sea captain, who named it Ellice's Island. Between 1850 and 1875, Funafati, with its navigable lagoon, was targeted byblackbirders who kidnapped natives to work at mines off the coast of Peru and Chile.[4] In 1892, each of the Ellice Islands was declared aBritish protectorate by CaptainHerbert Gibson ofHMS Curacoa. In 1909, the firstresident magistrate was appointed to Funafuti; in 1915, Funafuti, along with the rest of the Ellice Islands, were incorporated into theGilbert and Ellice Islands as a crown colony.[4] In October 1942, during World War II, Funafutiwas occupied by American forces to serve as a strategic staging ground for theGilbert and Marshall Islands campaign.[5] Over the course of the war, the Americans dredged Funafuti's lagoon harbor and established the atoll's airfield, now known asFunafuti International Airport. In October 1972,Cyclone Bebe struck Funafuti, causing extensive damage; despite this Funafuti was chosen as the administrative capital of the newly founded nation of Tuvalu in 1978. As the capital of Tuvalu, Funafuti is by far the most urbanized atoll in the country, and is the hub of governmental, administrative, and economic activities.[6]
The atoll consists of a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres (66 and 1,312 feet) wide, encircling a large lagoon (Te Namo) 18 km (11 miles) long and 14 km (9 miles) wide. The average depth of the Funafuti lagoon is about 20fathoms (120 ft; 37 m).[7] With a surface area of 275 square kilometres (106.2 sq mi), it is by far the largest lagoon in Tuvalu. The land area of the 33 islets around the atoll of Funafuti totals 2.4 square kilometres (0.9 sq mi); taken together, they constitute less than one percent of the total area of the atoll.
Much of Funafuti is less than one meter above sea level, making it highly susceptible to flooding. Projections indicate that by 2050, around half of the land area of Funafuti could be submerged during high tides as a result of rising sea levels, and by 2100, as much as 95% of the land may be flooded regularly.[8]
The capital of Tuvalu is sometimes said to be Fongafale orVaiaku, but, officially, the entire atoll of Funafuti is its capital,[9] since it has a single government that is responsible for the whole atoll.
Arent Schuyler de Peyster, captain of the armedbrigantineprivateer vesselRebecca, was one of the first recorded non-Polynesian visitors to Funafuti. His vessel sailed under British colors, and in May 1819, de Peyster passed through the southern waters of Tuvalu and sighted Funafuti.[14][15] He named it Ellice Island, afterEdward Ellice, an English politician and member of parliament for Coventry.[16]
In the 1850s, John (Jack) O'Brien became the first European to settle in Tuvalu. He became a trader on Funafuti and married Salai, the daughter of Funafuti's paramount chief;[18] with his family name continuing on Funafuti.[19]Alfred Restieaux, a native of England, lived and worked as a trader on Funafuti from July 1881 until about 1888 or 1889.[20][21]
George Westbrook, a trader based in Funafuti, recorded atropical cyclone that struck Funafuti on 23–24 December 1883. At the time the cyclone struck, he was the lone inhabitant ofFongafale, Funafuti's largest islet, because Tema, a Samoan missionary, had taken everyone else toFunafala to work on erecting a church. The cyclone destroyed the buildings in Fongafale, including the church and the trading stores belonging to George Westbrook andAlfred Restieaux. Despite this, rebuilding work instantly began at Fongafale.[23][24]
In 1892, CaptainEdward Davis ofHMS Royalist provided a report describing the traders and trading activities he observed on each of the islands he visited. Davis identified Jack O'Brien as a trader on Funafuti,[25] and O’Brien was also reported to be living on the atoll in 1896.[26]
In 1894 Count RudolphFestetics de Tolna, his wife Eila (née Haggin), and her daughter Blanche Haggin visited Funafuti aboard the yachtLe Tolna.[27][28] The Count spent several days photographing the men and woman of Funafuti.[29]
The population of Funafuti during the years 1860 to 1900 is estimated to have been between 280[30] and 300 people.[31] The Funafuti Post Office opened around 1911.[32]
In 1972, Funafuti lay in the path ofCyclone Bebe during the1972–73 South Pacific cyclone season. Bebe was a pre-seasontropical cyclone that hit theGilbert,Ellice, andFiji island groups.[39] The cyclone system was first spotted on 20 October. It intensified and grew in size through 22 October. At about 4 p.m. on Saturday the 21st, sea water bubbled through the coral on the airfield and rose to a height of about 5 feet (1.5 m). Cyclone Bebe continued to ravage the area through Sunday 22 October. The Ellice Islands Colony's shipMoanaraoi, which was in the lagoon, survived. However, three tuna boats were wrecked. As waves broke over the atoll, five people died: two adults and a 3-month-old child were swept away by waves, and two sailors who had been in the wrecked tuna boats were drowned.[40] Cyclone Bebe also knocked down 90% of the area's houses and trees. The storm surge created a wall of coral rubble along the ocean side ofFongafale andFunafala that was about 10 miles (16 km) long, and was about 10 to 20 feet (3.0 to 6.1 m) thick at the bottom.[40][41][42][43] The storm surge also destroyed or contaminated the area's sources of fresh drinking water.
In June 1996, theFunafuti Conservation Area was established along the western rim of the reef, encompassing six islets.[44] It has an area of 33 square kilometres (13 sq mi), containing 20 per cent of the reef area of Funafuti. The land area of the six islets in the conservation area is 8ha (20 acres). Below is a list of the islets in the conservation area, in order from north to south, with their estimated areas in hectares:
The Darwin's Drill project, conducted by theRoyal Society of London in 1896, 1897, and 1898, involved drilling boreholes on Funafuti to testCharles Darwin's theory ofcoral atoll formation.[45][46] The expeditions sought evidence of shallow-water organisms deep within the coral structure. Professor Sollas led the 1896 expedition and later published a report on the atoll study.[47] ProfessorEdgeworth David of theUniversity of Sydney participated in the 1896 expedition and led the 1897 effort. Photographers on the expeditions recorded people, communities and scenes at Funafuti.[48]
The geological significance of Funafuti in testing Darwin's theory was recognized in October 2022 when theInternational Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the atoll in its list of 100 'geological heritage sites' worldwide.[49]
Ocean side of Funafuti atoll showing the storm dunes, the highest point on the atoll.
There are at least 29 islets in the Funafuti atoll.[1] The largest is Fongafale, followed by Funafala. At least three of these islets are inhabited:Fongafale (the main island) in the east,Funafala in the south, andAmatuku in the north.
The district of Funafuti comprises nine villages on six islets, with four of the villages located onFongafale. Many islands only contain one village. Their populations as of the 2012 census are listed below:[3]
The Funafuti atoll's lagoon (Te Namo inTuvaluan) is 24.5 km (151⁄4 miles) long, north to south, and 17.5 km (103⁄4 miles) wide, east to west, and has an area of 275 km2 (106 sq. mi.), making it by far the largest lagoon in the nation of Tuvalu. It is about 52 metres (28 fathoms) deep in some places, but only6 metres (3+1⁄4 fathoms) deep in other places (because it has several submerged rocks andreefs along its bottom, some of which are that close the surface). The deepest basin is in the northern part of the lagoon (the maximum recorded depth is 54.7 metres (29.9 fathoms), while the southern part of the lagoon has a very narrow, shallow basin.[50] The Funafuti Conservation Area is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) across the lagoon from the main island ofFongafale, and is accessed by boat.
Tausoa Lima Falekaupule is the traditional meeting house on Funafuti.Tausoalima means "hand of friendship" andFalekaupule means "traditional island meeting hall." There is theFunafuti Lagoon Hotel, and other guesthouses as well as homes, constructed both in the traditional manner, out of palm fronds, and more recently out of cement blocks. The most prominent building on Funafuti atoll is theFētu'ao Lima (Morning Star Church) of theChurch of Tuvalu.
Other sites of interest are the remains of Japanese aircraft that crashed on Funafuti during World War II. The airfield wasconstructed during World War II by American troops for thePacific Theater. After the war, it was adapted to serve as theFunafuti International Airport, which serves both as the airstrip for the flights fromFiji as well as providing a place for sporting and other recreational activities.
A street in Funafuti.
A major sporting event is the "Independence Day Sports Festival", held annually at Fongafale on 1 October. The most important sports event within the country is arguably theTuvalu Games, which are held yearly since 2008, with teams coming to Funafuti from the outer islands to compete in the games.[51]Football in Tuvalu is played at club and national team level. TheTuvalu national football team trains at theTuvalu Sports Ground on Funafuti and competes in the Pacific Games and South Pacific Games.
Funafuti has atropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classificationAf). Because it experiences frequent cyclones, it is not considered to have an equatorial climate. It sees an extraordinary amount of rainfall throughout the year, being the fourth-wettest national capital in the world behindMonrovia,Freetown andConakry. Unlike thoseWest African capitals, Funafuti has nodry season: the town has no month in which less than 200 millimetres (7.9 in) rain falls, and an average of about 3,500 millimetres (140 in) of precipitation annually. As is common in many areas with a tropical rainforest climate, the temperature varies little during the year; average daily temperatures hover around 28 °C (82 °F) year-round. When comparing seasonal weathers, summer (December to February) is the wettest season, while winter (June to August) is the driest season. Autumn (March to May) is the “hottest” season, and summer is the “coldest” season. However, autumn averages are only 0.3 degrees Celsius hotter than summer averages.
Fiji Airways, the owner of Fiji Airlines (trading asFiji Link) operates air transport services three times per week (on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) betweenSuva and Funafuti. The flights originate inNadi, and useATR 72-600 aircraft, which can carry up to 68 passengers.
Fongafale has port facilities and two passenger/cargo ships,Nivaga III andManu Folau, which make roundtrips between Fongafale and the outer islands about once every three or four weeks, and also travel betweenSuva, Fiji,[55] and Funafuti about three or four times a year.
In 2015 the Japanese government donated theNivaga III, to Tuvalu, to replace theNivaga II, which had served Tuvalu since 1989.[56]
Funafuti Conservation Area: This area is renowned for its marine life, including vibrant coral reefs, fish, turtles, and clams. It's a spot for snorkeling and diving.
David's Drill: This historic site marks the location where scientists conducted experimental drilling in the late 1800s to testCharles Darwin's theory ofatoll formation.[58][59]
The FunafutiFalekaupule is the local council, with the Kaupule as the executive of the Falekaupule.[64] On Fongafale, the Funafuti Kaupule is responsible for approvals of the construction of houses or extension to an existing buildings on private land and the Lands Management Committee is the responsible authority in relation to lands leased by Government.[65]
There are two junior schools, the Seventh Day Adventist Primary School and Nauti Primary School, which, combined, have a register of more than 900 pupils. This makes it the largest primary school in Tuvalu (with 45 per cent of the total primary school enrollment).[69]
SirToaripi Lauti,GCMGPC (28 November 1928 – 25 May 2014): first Chief Minister of the Ellice Islands (from 2 October 1975 to 1 October 1978); first Prime Minister of Tuvalu (from 1 October 1978 to 8 September 1981); third Governor General of Tuvalu (from 1 October 1990 to 1 December 1993).
SirKamuta Latasi,KCMGOBEPCMP (born 1936): fourth Prime Minister of Tuvalu (from 1993 to 1996); Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu (2006 to September 2010, and December 2010 to March 2014).
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^Premier Postal History."Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions.Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved5 July 2013.
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^Bureau of Meteorology (1975)Tropical Cyclones in the Northern Australian Regions 1971–1972 Australian Government Publishing Service
^abResture, Jane (5 October 2009).Hurricane Bebe 1972. Tuvalu and the Hurricanes: 'The Hurricane in Funafuti, Tuvalu' by Pasefika Falani (Pacific Frank).Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
^Baines, G.B.K., Beveridge, P.J. & Maragos, J.E. (1974). "Storms and island building at Funafuti Atoll, Ellice Islands".Proceedings of the 2nd Int. Coral Reef Symposium.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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