{"id":4851,"date":"2023-06-07T01:05:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T01:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zoa.com\/2023\/?p=4851"},"modified":"2023-06-07T07:54:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T07:54:29","slug":"tuvalu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoa.com\/2023\/travel\/tuvalu\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuvalu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One reason why you should Go Now!<\/a><\/em> is to visit places that may not exist in the future. Tuvalu is one of four countries in danger of being swallowed by the sea. These four countries are low-lying atolls barely above sea level, frequently flooded by king tides and typhoons. With sea levels rising due to Climate Change, about half the islands that form these four counties will be uninhabitable by 2100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/td>Population<\/strong><\/td>GDP (us$)<\/strong><\/td>Area (km2<\/sup>)<\/strong><\/td># of atolls<\/strong><\/td>Avg elev (m)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Tuvalu<\/strong><\/td>11,024<\/td>$30 million<\/td>26<\/td>5<\/td>1.8<\/td><\/tr>
Marshall Islands<\/strong><\/td>42,050<\/td>$280 million<\/td>181<\/td>29<\/td>2,1<\/td><\/tr>
Kiribati<\/strong><\/td>128,874<\/td>$220 million<\/td>811<\/td>32<\/td>1.9<\/td><\/tr>
Maldives<\/strong><\/td>521,457<\/td>$5.5 billion<\/td>298<\/td>26<\/td>1.5<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n
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Funafuti is the capital and largest village in Tuvalu. 60% of Tuvalu’s population live here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Housing in Funafuti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The inter-island ferry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Volleyball on the runway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Life in Tuvalu is simple. There’s decent housing. There’s a ferry to the outer islands. The center of Tuvalu is its airport runway, which is not fenced off. With only three flights a week, the mile-long airstrip is a community recreation center the rest of the week, where people play soccer and volleyball, hold bicycle races and family picnics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The endless surf by the ocean<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Peaceful beaches by the lagoon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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At low tide one can walk to some islands.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like all atolls, Tuvalu has a narrow strip of land separating the turbulent ocean from its tranquil lagoon. On the ocean side, the surf pounds away at the island’s coral dunes. On the inside, the lagoon’s beaches are soft, white sand. At new moon and full moon, one can walk between some of the islands at low tide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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