Nukulaelae | |
|---|---|
 Nukulaelae atoll from space | |
 Map of the atoll | |
  Nukulaelae Location in Tuvalu | |
| Coordinates:09°22′12″S179°48′31″E / 9.37000°S 179.80861°E /-9.37000; 179.80861 | |
| Country | Tuvalu |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.82 km2 (0.70 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 641 |
| • Density | 352/km2 (912/sq mi) |
| ISO 3166 code | TV-NKL |
Nukulaelae is anatoll that is part of the nation ofTuvalu,[1] and it has a population of 300 (2017 census). The largest settlement is Pepesala on Fangaua islet with a population of 341 people (2022 Census).[2] It has the form of an oval and consists of at least 15 islets.[3] The inhabited islet isFangaua, which is 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long and 50 to 200 metres (160 to 660 ft) wide. The easternmost point of Tuvalu isNiuoko islet. The Nukulaelae Conservation Area covers the eastern end of the lagoon. A baseline survey of marine life in the conservation zone was conducted in 2010.[4][5]
The traditional history of Nukulaelae is that a white-skinned man was the first person to sight the island, but he did not settle as there were no trees. Nukulaelae means 'the land of sands'.[6] Later, according to tradition, Valoa fromVaitupu discovered Nukulaelae while on a fishing expedition. He returned to Nukulaelae and planted coconut trees and eventually settled on Nukulaelae with his family.[6] On the islet of Tumuiloto was amalae named Fagafale where religious rites honouring ancestral spirits were practiced.[6] On the islet of Niuoka is a large stone at a place called Te Faleatua - 'the house of the gods.'[6]
In 1821 Nukulaelae was visited by Captain George Barrett of theNantucket whalerIndependence II He named the atoll ‘Mitchell’s Group’.[7]
Christianity first came to Tuvalu in 1861 whenElekana, a deacon of aCongregational church inManihiki,Cook Islands became caught in a storm and drifted for 8 weeks before landing at Nukulaelae on 10 May 1861.[8][9][10]
The population of Nukulaelae in 1860 is estimated to be 300 people.[11][12] For less than a year between 1862 and 1863, Peruvian ships, engaged in what came to be called the "blackbirding" trade, came to the islands seeking recruits to fill the extreme labour shortage inPeru, including workers to mine theguano deposits on theChincha Islands.[13] On Nukulaelae, the resident trader facilitated the recruiting of the islanders by the "blackbirders".[14] About 200 were taken from Nukulaelae[15] as immediately after 1863 there were fewer than 100 of the 300 recorded in 1861 as living on Nukulaelae.[11][16]
Peter Laban was an early trader on Nukulaelae in the 1850s, followed by Tom Rose in the 1860s, and later Richard Collins in the 1890s.[14] In 1865 a trading captain acting on behalf of the German firm ofJ.C. Godeffroy & Sohn obtained a 25-year lease to the eastern islet ofNiuoko.[17] For many years the islanders and the Germans argued over the lease, including its terms and the importation of labourers, however the Germans remained until the lease expired in 1890.[17]
In 1896,HMSPenguin spent two days at Nukulaelae carrying out a scientific survey of the atoll.[18]
Nukulaelae Post Office opened around 1923.[19]
The atoll was claimed by theUnited States under theGuano Islands Act from the 19th century until 1983, when claims to the atoll were ceded to Tuvalu.
No candidates contested the sitting MPsSeve Paeniu andNamoliki Sualiki in the2024 general election that was held on 26 January 2024, so they were automatically returned toparliament.[20][21][22]
The junior school is Faikimua Primary School.
| Islands |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Atolls | ||
| Islets of Funafuti | ||
| Islets of Nanumea | ||
| Islets of Nui | ||
| Islets of Nukufetau | ||
| Islets of Vaitupu | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
