List of airports in Tuvalu

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Map of Tuvalu

This is a list of airports in Tuvalu .

Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island country located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls. Its population of 10,507 (2017 Census) [1] makes it among the least-populated sovereign states in the world. [2] In terms of physical land size, at just 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi) Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world, larger only than the Vatican City at 0.44 km2 (0.17 sq mi), Monaco at 1.95 km2 (0.75 sq mi) and Nauru at 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi).

Contents

Airports

Island served ICAO IATA Airport name Coordinates
Funafuti NGFUFUN Funafuti International Airport 8°31′30″S179°11′47″E / 8.52500°S 179.19639°E / -8.52500; 179.19639 (Funafuti International Airport)
Nanumea Nanumea Airfield (abandoned after World War II) 5°40′S176°07′E / 5.667°S 176.117°E / -5.667; 176.117 (Nanumea Airport)
Motulalo, Nukufetau Nukufetau Airfield (abandoned after World War II) 8°30′S178°30′E / 8.500°S 178.500°E / -8.500; 178.500 (Nukufetau Airport)

History

Funafuti Airfield was built by United States Navy Seabee construction battalions in 1943 during World War II. [3] It was later sealed to create Funafuti International Airport.

During World War II the American forces also build airfields on Nanumea and Motulalo, which is the largest atoll of Nukufetau. [4] After the war these two airfields were dismantled.

See also

Related Research Articles

Tuvalu Country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean

Tuvalu is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands, northeast of Vanuatu, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna, and north of Fiji. Tuvalu is composed of three reef islands and six atolls. They are spread out between the latitude of 5° and 10° south and between the longitude of 176° and 180°. They lie west of the International Date Line. Tuvalu has a population of 10,507. The total land area of the islands of Tuvalu is 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi).

Geography of Tuvalu Overview of the geography of Tuvalu

The Western Pacific nation of Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is situated 4,000 kilometers (2,500 mi) northeast of Australia and is approximately halfway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna and north of Fiji. It is a very small island country of 26 km2 (10 sq mi). Due to the spread out islands it has the 38th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 749,790 km2 (289,500 sq mi).

History of Tuvalu Aspect of history

The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians, so the origins of the people of Tuvalu can be traced to the spread of humans out of Southeast Asia, from Taiwan, via Melanesia and across the Pacific islands of Polynesia.

Nanumea Atoll in Tuvalu

Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about 400 miles (640 km) of Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) with a population of 512 people.

Lists of hospitals in Oceania Wikipedia list article

This is a list of hospitals in Oceania for each sovereign state, associated states of New Zealand, and dependencies, and territories. Links to lists of hospitals in countries are used when there are more than a few hospitals in the country. Oceania has an area of 8,525,989 km2 and population of 41,570,842 (2018). The World Health Organization surveys of healthcare in smaller countries are used to identify hospitals in smaller countries.

Fongafale Island in Funafuti, Tuvalu

Fongafale is the largest of Funafuti's islets in Tuvalu. It is a long narrow sliver of land, 12 kilometres long and between 10 and 400 metres wide, with the South Pacific Ocean and reef on the east and the protected lagoon on the west. The north part is the Tengako peninsula, and Funafuti International Airport runs from northeast to southwest on the widest part of the island, with the village and administrative centre of Vaiaku on the lagoon side.

Bonriki International Airport

Bonriki International Airport is an international airport in Kiribati, serving as the main gateway to the country. It is located in its capital, South Tarawa, which is a group of islets in the atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, precisely on Bonriki.

Funafuti International Airport

Funafuti International Airport is an airport in Funafuti, in the capital city of the island nation of Tuvalu. It is the sole international airport in Tuvalu. Fiji Airways operates between Suva and Funafuti. Air Kiribati provides one flight a week from Tarawa to Funafuti.

Outline of Tuvalu Overview of and topical guide to Tuvalu

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tuvalu:

Abemama Airport is the airport serving Abemama, Kiribati. It is located on the north of the atoll, 200 meters northeast of the village of Tabiang.

Funafuti Capital of Tuvalu

Funafuti is an atoll and the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people, making it the country's most populous atoll, with 60.15 per cent of Tuvalu's population. It consists of a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide. The average depth of the Funafuti lagoon is about 20 fathoms. 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 per cent of the total area of the atoll. Cargo ships can enter Funafuti's lagoon and dock at the port facilities on Fongafale.

Rugby union is played in Tuvalu. Unlike most South Pacific islands, rugby union is largely played on an informal basis alongside football (soccer), which is the main sport played by Tuvaluans.

Catholic Church in Kiribati

The Catholic Church in Kiribati is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, which, inspired by the life, death and teachings of Jesus Christ, and under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Roman curia in the Vatican City is the largest Christian church in the world. Koru Tito is Bishop of Tarawa and Nauru, with see in Kiribati.

Postage stamps and postal history of Tuvalu

This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Tuvalu.

Nanumea Airfield

Nanumea Airfield is a former World War II airfield on the island of Nanumea in the Ellice Islands.

Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands Period in the history of Kiribati

The Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands was the period in the history of Kiribati between 1941 and 1945 when Imperial Japanese forces occupied the Gilbert Islands during World War II, in the Pacific War theatre.

References

  1. "Population of communities in Tuvalu". Thomas Brinkhoff. 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  2. "Country Comparisons – Population". CIA The World Factbook.
  3. "To the Central Pacific and Tarawa, August 1943--Background to GALVANIC (Ch 16, p. 622)". 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  4. Melei Telavi (1983). "Chapter 18 - War". In Laracy, Hugh (ed.). Tuvalu: A History. Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Government of Tuvalu. p. 143.