Funafuti

File:H-C-Fassett-Ellice-Is-1900.jpg (1900), American photographer]]

The oral history of Funafuti maintains that its founding ancestor came from the Samoan Islands.{{cite journal|author=Prof. W. J. Sollas|date=11 February 1897|title=The Legendary History of Funafuti|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/055353a0.pdf|journal=Nature|volume=55|pages=353–355}}{{cite book | author= Talakatoa O'Brien| title=Tuvalu: A History, Chapter 1, Genesis| year= 1983 | publisher= Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Government of Tuvalu }}{{cite journal |first=Donald G. |last=Kennedy |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_38_1929/Field_notes_on_the_culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_Donald_Gilbert_Kennedy%2C_p_1-99/p1?action=null |title=Field Notes on the Culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |volume=38 |year=1929 |pages=2–5 |access-date=14 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015043119/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_38_1929/Field_notes_on_the_culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_Donald_Gilbert_Kennedy%2C_p_1-99/p1?action=null |archive-date=15 October 2008 |url-status=dead }} The name Funafati is derived from the word "Funa", which means "chief" in Samoan. Furthermore, the name of one of the islets, Funafala, means "the pandanus of Funa."{{cite book |last1= Hedley |first1= Charles |title= General account of the Atoll of Funafuti |url= http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |year= 1896 |publisher= Australian Museum Memoir 3(2): 1–72 |access-date= 28 September 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131015112253/http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |archive-date= 15 October 2013 |url-status= dead }}

Arent Schuyler de Peyster, captain of the armed brigantine privateer vessel Rebecca, 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.{{cite book |last1=De Peyster |first1=J. Watts 1821–1907. |title=Military (1776–'79) transactions of Major, afterwards Colonel, 8th or King's foot, Arent Schuyler de Peyster (with details of the discovery of the Ellice and de Peyster Islands in the Pacific Ocean, in May, 1819) |publisher=Reproduction of original in: Bibliotheque Nationale du Quebec |isbn=0665040512}}{{cite web |title=The De Peysters |url=http://corbett-family-history.com/de-peyster |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703170833/http://corbett-family-history.com/de-peyster |archive-date=3 July 2017 |access-date=14 August 2017}} He named it Ellice Island, after Edward Ellice, an English politician and member of parliament for Coventry.Laumua Kofe, Palagi and Pastors, Tuvalu: A History, Ch. 15, Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Government of Tuvalu, 1983

In 1841, the United States Exploring Expedition, led by Charles Wilkes, visited Funafuti.Tyler, David B. – 1968 The Wilkes Expedition. The First United States Exploring Expedition (1838–42). Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society The United States claimed Funafuti, along with based on the 1856 Guano Islands Act, and maintained this claim until 1983, when a treaty of friendship, concluded in 1979, went into effect.

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;{{cite web |work=Tuvaluislands.com |title=A Brief History of Tuvalu: Christianity and European Traders |url=http://www.tuvaluislands.com/history.htm |access-date=15 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813092349/http://www.tuvaluislands.com/history.htm |archive-date=13 August 2013 |url-status=usurped }} with his family name continuing on Funafuti.{{cite web | last =Lambert | first =Sylvester M. | work =Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego | title =Young woman, member of the O'Brien family, Funafuti, Tuvalu | url =http://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb13661628 | access-date =25 January 2017 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170202025500/http://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb13661628 | archive-date =2 February 2017 | url-status =live }} Alfred Restieaux, a native of England, lived and worked as a trader on Funafuti from July 1881 until about 1888 or 1889.{{cite web|first= Jane|last= Resture|title= Alfred Restieaux Manuscripts – Part 2|url= http://www.janeresture.com/ar3.htm|publisher= Jane Resture|access-date= 23 March 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130307132104/http://www.janeresture.com/ar3.htm|archive-date= 7 March 2013|url-status= live}}{{cite web|first=Doug|last=Munro|title=Tom De Wolf's Pacific Venture: The Life History of a Commercial Enterprise in Samoa|year=1980|url=https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/PacificStudies/article/download/9023/8672|access-date=23 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002080826/https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/PacificStudies/article/download/9023/8672|archive-date=2 October 2013|url-status=live}}

In 1882, members of the US Fish Commission visited Funafuti on the USFC Albatross to investigate the formation of coral reefs on Pacific atolls. During that visit, Harry Clifford Fassett, the captain's clerk and a photographer, took pictures of people, communities, and scenery in Funafuti.{{cite web|title=National Archives & Records Administration|url=https://www.archives.gov|publisher=Records of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.|access-date=20 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920202419/http://www.archives.gov/|archive-date=20 September 2011|url-status=live}}

George Westbrook, a trader based in Funafuti, recorded a tropical cyclone that struck Funafuti on 23–24 December 1883. At the time the cyclone struck, he was the lone inhabitant of Fongafale, Funafuti's largest islet, because Tema, a Samoan missionary, had taken everyone else to Funafala to work on erecting a church. The cyclone destroyed the buildings in Fongafale, including the church and the trading stores belonging to George Westbrook and Alfred Restieaux. Despite this, rebuilding work instantly began at Fongafale.{{cite journal |author= McLean, R.F. and Munro, D. |url= http://uspaquatic.library.usp.ac.fj/gsdl/collect/spjnas/index/assoc/HASH0199.dir/doc.pdf |title= Late 19th century Tropical Storms and Hurricanes in Tuvalu |journal= South Pacific Journal of Natural History |volume= 11 |year= 1991 |pages= 213–219 |access-date= 10 April 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190410113306/http://uspaquatic.library.usp.ac.fj/gsdl/collect/spjnas/index/assoc/HASH0199.dir/doc.pdf |archive-date= 10 April 2019 |url-status= dead }}{{cite book |last1= Resture |first1= Jane |title= Hurricane 1883 |url= http://www.janeresture.com/hurribebe/hurricanebebe2.htm |publisher= Tuvalu and the Hurricanes: ‘Gods Who Die’ by Julian Dana as told by George Westbrook |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170908231226/http://www.janeresture.com/hurribebe/hurricanebebe2.htm |archive-date= 8 September 2017 |url-status= live }}

In 1892, Captain Edward Davis of {{HMS|Royalist|1883|6}} 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,{{cite web|first= Jane|last= Resture|title= TUVALU HISTORY – 'The Davis Diaries' (H.M.S. Royalist, 1892 visit to Ellice Islands under Captain Davis'')|url= http://www.janeresture.com/tuvalu_davis/index.htm|access-date= 20 September 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110830021646/http://www.janeresture.com/tuvalu_davis/index.htm|archive-date= 30 August 2011|url-status= live}} and O’Brien was also reported to be living on the atoll in 1896.{{cite journal |ref= Hedley |last1= Hedley |first1= Charles |title= General account of the Atoll of Funafuti |url= http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |year= 1896 |journal= Australian Museum Memoir |volume= 3 |issue= 2 |pages= 1–72 |doi= 10.3853/j.0067-1967.3.1896.487 |access-date= 28 September 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131015112253/http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |archive-date= 15 October 2013 |url-status= dead }}

In 1894 Count Rudolph Festetics de Tolna, his wife Eila (née Haggin), and her daughter Blanche Haggin visited Funafuti aboard the yacht Le Tolna.Festetics De Tolna, Comte Rodolphe, Chez les cannibales: huit ans de croisière dans l'océan Pacifique à bord du, Paris: Plon-Nourrit, 1903{{cite book |title= "The Aristocrat and His Cannibals" Count Festetics von Tolna's travels in Oceania, 1893–1896 |publisher= musée du quai Branly|date=2007}} The Count spent several days photographing the men and woman of Funafuti.{{cite web|title= Néprajzi Múzeum Könyvtára|url= http://www.neprajz.hu|publisher= The library of the Ethnographic Museum of Hungary|access-date= 20 September 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110721111935/http://www.neprajz.hu/|archive-date= 21 July 2011|url-status= live}}

The population of Funafuti during the years 1860 to 1900 is estimated to have been between 280{{cite journal |first=W. F. |last=Newton |title=The Early Population of the Ellice Islands |volume=76 |issue=2 |year=1967 |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |pages=197–204 }} and 300 people.{{cite journal |first1=Richard |last1=Bedford |first2=Barrie |last2=Macdonald |first3=Doug |last3=Monro |title=Population Estimates for Kiribati and Tuvalu |year=1980 |volume=89 |issue=1 |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |pages=199 }} The Funafuti Post Office opened around 1911.{{Cite web | last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | publisher = Premier Postal Auctions | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=ge&country= | access-date = 5 July 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140106061201/https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=ge&country= | archive-date = 6 January 2014 | url-status = live }}

During the Pacific War (World War II) the Ellice Islands were used as a base to prepare for the subsequent seaborn attacks on the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati) that were occupied by Japanese forces.{{cite book |last1=McQuarrie |first1=Peter |title= Strategic atolls: Tuvalu and the Second World War |year= 1994 |publisher= Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury/ Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific |isbn=0958330050}} The United States Marine Corps 5th Defense Battalion landed on Funafuti on 2 October 1942;{{cite web| title=Tuvalu (Ellice Islands) |url= http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/tuvalu.html| access-date=1 June 2012}}{{cite web | url=http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?15213-Unsung-battle-Fighting-at-Funafuti-Atoll-played-an-important-role-in-World-War-II | title=Unsung battle: Fighting at Funafuti Atoll played an important role in World War II }} the operation was kept secret until the Japanese discovered it for themselves on 27 March 1943.{{cite web | url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/operation_fetlock_funafuti_atoll.html | title=Occupation of Funafuti Atoll (Operation Fetlock), 2 October 1942 }} On Funafuti the islanders were shifted to the smaller islets, to allow the American forces to build an airfield (now Funafuti International Airport), along with a 76-bed hospital and the Naval Base Funafuti port facilities on Fongafale islet.{{cite web | last = Jersey | first = Stanley C. | work = The Battle for Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll | title = A Japanese Perspective: Operations in the Gilbert Islands by the 4th Fleet and the 6th Base Force | date = 29 February 2004 | url = http://tarawaontheweb.org/stanjersy1.htm | access-date = 8 June 2015 | archive-date = 7 September 2004 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040907215955/http://tarawaontheweb.org/stanjersy1.htm | url-status = dead }}{{cite book |first1=Melei |last1=Telavi |editor-first1=Hugh |editor-last1=Larcy |title=Tuvalu: A History|year= 1983 |publisher= University of the South Pacific/Government of Tuvalu|pages=140–144 |chapter= Chapter 18, War }}

In 1972, Funafuti lay in the path of Cyclone Bebe during the 1972–73 South Pacific cyclone season. Bebe was a pre-season tropical cyclone that hit the Gilbert, Ellice, and Fiji island groups.Bureau of Meteorology (1975) Tropical Cyclones in the Northern Australian Regions 1971–1972 Australian Government Publishing Service 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 {{convert|5|ft|m}}. Cyclone Bebe continued to ravage the area through Sunday 22 October. The Ellice Islands Colony's ship Moanaraoi, 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.{{cite book |last1=Resture |first1=Jane |url=http://www.janeresture.com/hurribebe/hurricanebebe2.htm |title=Hurricane Bebe 1972 |date=5 October 2009 |publisher=Tuvalu and the Hurricanes: 'The Hurricane in Funafuti, Tuvalu' by Pasefika Falani (Pacific Frank) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908231226/http://www.janeresture.com/hurribebe/hurricanebebe2.htm |archive-date=8 September 2017 |url-status=live}} 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 of Fongafale and Funafala that was about {{convert|10|mi}} long, and was about {{convert|10|to|20|ft|m}} thick at the bottom.{{cite journal |author=Maragos J.E., Baines G.B., Beveridge P.J. |year=1973 |title=Tropical Cyclone creates a New Land Formation on Funafuti |journal=Science |volume=181 |issue=4105 |pages=1161–4 |doi=10.1126/science.181.4105.1161 |pmid=17744290 |s2cid=35546293}}{{cite journal |author=Baines, G.B.K., Beveridge, P.J. & Maragos, J.E. |year=1974 |title=Storms and island building at Funafuti Atoll, Ellice Islands |journal=Proceedings of the 2nd Int. Coral Reef Symposium}}{{cite web |last=Warne |first=Kennedy |date=13 February 2015 |title=Will Pacific Island Nations Disappear as Seas Rise? Maybe Not – Reef islands can grow and change shape as sediments shift, studies show |url=http://news-beta.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/150213-tuvalu-sopoaga-kench-kiribati-maldives-cyclone-marshall-islands/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214031223/http://news-beta.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/150213-tuvalu-sopoaga-kench-kiribati-maldives-cyclone-marshall-islands/ |archive-date=14 February 2015 |access-date=14 February 2015 |work=National Geographic}} The storm surge also destroyed or contaminated the area's sources of fresh drinking water.File:Tuvalu view.jpg peninsula and Fongafale, Funafuti atoll, looking south]]

File:Northern Funafuti.jpg peninsula, Funafuti atoll, looking south]]

In June 1996, the Funafuti Conservation Area was established along the western rim of the reef, encompassing six islets.{{cite web|last= |first= |title= Funafuti Reef Fisheries Stewardship Plan (FRFSP)|publisher= Tuvalu Fisheries (Tuvalu Ministry of Natural Resources)|page= |date= 15 November 2017|url= http://www.tuvalufisheries.tv/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FRFSP-231117-web.pdf|accessdate= 11 August 2021|archive-date= 31 October 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191031004907/http://www.tuvalufisheries.tv/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FRFSP-231117-web.pdf|url-status= dead}} It has an area of {{convert|33|km2|sqmi}}, containing 20 per cent of the reef area of Funafuti. The land area of the six islets in the conservation area is 8 ha (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:

• Tepuka Vilivili, 3
• Fualopa, 2
• Fuafatu, 0.2
• Vasafua, 0.5
• Fuakea, 1.5
• Tefala, 1

Funafuti stands as both a political and environmental symbol of the challenges faced by small island developing states (SIDS) in the modern era. Since the turn of the 21st century, Funafuti has been at the forefront of regional and international discourse surrounding climate change, sustainable development, and geopolitical cooperation.{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/threat-our-human-rights-tuvalus-perspective-climate-change/ |title=A Threat To Our Human Rights: Tuvalu's Perspective On Climate Change |website=un.org |author=Apisai Ielemia |date=1 June 2007 |language=en |access-date=12 May 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/investigations/sinking-tuvalu-fights-keep-maritime-boundaries-sea-levels-rise-2024-09-24/ |title=Sinking Tuvalu fights to keep maritime boundaries as sea levels rise |author=Kirsty Needham |date=24 September 2024 |language=en |access-date=12 May 2025}} This period in its history is shaped by mounting environmental pressures, efforts at socio-political resilience, and increasingly vital international partnerships.

The Darwin's Drill project, conducted by the Royal Society of London in 1896, 1897, and 1898, involved drilling boreholes on Funafuti to test Charles Darwin's theory of coral atoll formation.{{cite book |last1=Lal |first1=Andrick |url=http://www.pacificdisaster.net/oip/FinalReport/Annex/3_Survey%20LDP/Survey_Diagrams_JPACE-TV.pdf |title=South Pacific Sea Level & Climate Monitoring Project – Funafuti atoll |publisher=SPC Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC Division of SPC) |pages=35 & 40 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203011855/http://www.pacificdisaster.net/oip/FinalReport/Annex/3_Survey%20LDP/Survey_Diagrams_JPACE-TV.pdf |archive-date=3 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |date=11 September 1934 |title=TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD. |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17092086 |access-date=20 June 2012 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=National Library of Australia |page=6}} 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.{{cite journal |author=Sollas, William J. |year=1899 |title=Funafati: the study of a coral atoll |journal=Natural Science |volume=14 |pages=17–37}} Professor Edgeworth David of the University of Sydney participated in the 1896 expedition and led the 1897 effort. Photographers on the expeditions recorded people, communities and scenes at Funafuti.Photography Collection, University of Sydney Library

The geological significance of Funafuti in testing Darwin's theory was recognized in October 2022 when the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the atoll in its list of 100 'geological heritage sites' worldwide.{{cite web |title=The First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites |url=https://iugs-geoheritage.org/videos-pdfs/iugs_first_100_book_v2.pdf |access-date=5 November 2022 |website=IUGS International Commission on Geoheritage |publisher=IUGS}}File:Ocean side Funafuti.jpg

Funafuti, the capital atoll of Tuvalu, has become a focal point for global discussions on climate change and its impacts on low-lying island nations. With an average elevation of just two meters above sea level, Funafuti faces existential threats from rising sea levels, making it a critical site for understanding the intersection of environmental vulnerability, adaptation efforts, and international cooperation.{{cite web |url=https://los40.com/2024/09/27/tuvalu-el-paraiso-que-se-hunde-en-mitad-del-pacifico/ |title=Tuvalu, el paraíso que se hunde en mitad del Pacífico

|author=Dani Cabezas |date=27 September 2024 |language=es |access-date=12 May 2025}}

Tuvalu's vulnerability is underscored by projections indicating that by 2050, half of Funafuti could be submerged during high tides, with up to 95% potentially flooded by 2100. This situation has led to significant environmental challenges, including the contamination of freshwater sources and the degradation of agricultural land. In response, the government has initiated several adaptation projects, notably the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project (TCAP), which aims to protect vulnerable shorelines and reclaim land to mitigate the effects of sea-level rise.

There are at least 29 islets in the Funafuti atoll. 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, and Amatuku in the north.

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Amatuku
• Avalau
• Falaoigo
• Fale Fatu (or Falefatu)
• Fatato
• Fongafale
• Fuafatu
• Fuagea
• Fualefeke (or Fualifeke)
• Fualopa
• Funafala
• Funamanu
• Luamotu
• Mateika
• Motugie
• Motuloa
• Mulitefala
• Papa Elise (or Funangongo)
• Te Afuafou
• Te Afualiku
• Tefala
• Telele
• Tengako (peninsula of the island of Fongafale)
• Tengasu
• Tepuka
• Tepuka Vili Vili
• Tutanga
• Vasafua

{{div col end}}

File:Vaiaku Lagi Hotel.jpg]]

File:Office of Tuvalu Telecom.jpg]]

The district of Funafuti comprises nine villages on six islets, with four of the villages located on Fongafale. Many islands only contain one village. Their populations as of the 2012 census are listed below:

The Funafuti atoll's lagoon (Te Namo in Tuvaluan) is 24.5 km (15{{frac|1|4}} miles) long, north to south, and 17.5 km (10{{frac|3|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 {{convert|52|metre|fathom|abbr=off}} deep in some places, but only {{convert|6|metre|fathom|frac=4|abbr=off}} deep in other places (because it has several submerged rocks and reefs 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 {{convert|54.7|metre|fathom|abbr=off}}, while the southern part of the lagoon has a very narrow, shallow basin.{{cite web |title= EU-SOPAC Project Report 50: TUVALU TECHNICAL REPORT High-Resolution Bathymetric Survey Fieldwork undertaken from 19 September to 24 October 2004 |publisher= Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission c/o SOPAC Secretariat|date=October 2018 |url= ftp://ftp.gouv.nc/sig/PUBLIC/club_geomatique/2017/GT_donnees_geo_maritimes_22_06_2017/Rapport_de_leve_CPS.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210831145339/ftp://ftp.gouv.nc/sig/PUBLIC/club_geomatique/2017/GT_donnees_geo_maritimes_22_06_2017/Rapport_de_leve_CPS.pdf |archive-date= 2021-08-31 |url-status= dead | access-date=21 October 2019 }} The Funafuti Conservation Area is located {{convert|15|km}} across the lagoon from the main island of Fongafale, and is accessed by boat.

Tausoa Lima Falekaupule is the traditional meeting house on Funafuti. Tausoalima means "hand of friendship" and Falekaupule means "traditional island meeting hall." There is the Funafuti 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 the Fētu'ao Lima (Morning Star Church) of the Church of Tuvalu.

Other sites of interest are the remains of Japanese aircraft that crashed on Funafuti during World War II. The airfield was constructed during World War II by American troops for the Pacific Theater. After the war, it was adapted to serve as the Funafuti International Airport, which serves both as the airstrip for the flights from Fiji as well as providing a place for sporting and other recreational activities.

File:Main street of Funafuti.jpg

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 the Tuvalu Games, which are held yearly since 2008, with teams coming to Funafuti from the outer islands to compete in the games.{{cite web|first = Shuuichi|last = Endou|title = Tuvalu Games 2011|date = 18 May 2011|url = http://www.tuvalu-news.tv/archives/2011/05/tuvalu_game_2011.html|publisher = Tuvalu-News.TV|access-date = 31 October 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121018180008/http://www.tuvalu-news.tv/archives/2011/05/tuvalu_game_2011.html|archive-date = 18 October 2012|url-status = dead}} Football in Tuvalu is played at club and national team level. The Tuvalu national football team trains at the Tuvalu Sports Ground on Funafuti and competes in the Pacific Games and South Pacific Games.

The Parliament of Tuvalu or Palamene o Tuvalu is located on Fongafale, together with the offices of the government departments and the government agencies, including the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation, National Bank of Tuvalu, Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau, Tuvalu Meteorological Service, Tuvalu National Library and Archives and the Tuvalu Media Department that operates Radio Tuvalu. The police service has its headquarters and the jail on Fongafale. The High Court of Tuvalu is also located on Fongafale.

The Princess Margaret Hospital, the only hospital in Tuvalu, is located on Fongafale.

The installed PV capacity in Funafuti in 2020 was 735 kW compared to 1800 kW of diesel (16% penetration).{{cite web |date=December 2020 |title=REG (49450-028): Preparing Floating Solar Plus Projects under the Pacific Renewable Energy Investment Facility – Terms of Reference for Consulting Firm |url=https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/linked-documents/49450-028-tor.pdf |access-date=22 January 2021 |publisher=Asian Development Bank (ADB)}}

File:Tuvalu Meteorology Service.jpg station, Fongafale]]

Funafuti has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af). 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 behind Monrovia, Freetown and Conakry. Unlike those West African capitals, Funafuti has no dry season: the town has no month in which less than {{convert|200|mm}} rain falls, and an average of about {{convert|3500|mm}} 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 {{convert|28|C}} 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.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Funafuti International Airport (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1936–2020)

| Jan record high C = 33.9

| Feb record high C = 34.4

| Mar record high C = 34.4

| Apr record high C = 34.2

| May record high C = 33.9

| Jun record high C = 33.9

| Jul record high C = 33.6

| Aug record high C = 33.1

| Sep record high C = 33.5

| Oct record high C = 34.4

| Nov record high C = 34.2

| Dec record high C = 34.2

| year record high C = 34.4

| Jan high C = 31.1

| Feb high C = 31.2

| Mar high C = 31.3

| Apr high C = 31.6

| May high C = 31.6

| Jun high C = 31.4

| Jul high C = 31.1

| Aug high C = 31.1

| Sep high C = 31.4

| Oct high C = 31.6

| Nov high C = 31.7

| Dec high C = 31.6

| year high C = 31.4

| Jan mean C = 28.5

| Feb mean C = 28.4

| Mar mean C = 28.6

| Apr mean C = 28.9

| May mean C = 28.9

| Jun mean C = 28.8

| Jul mean C = 28.6

| Aug mean C = 28.5

| Sep mean C = 28.7

| Oct mean C = 28.8

| Nov mean C = 28.9

| Dec mean C = 28.7

| year mean C = 28.7

| Jan low C = 25.8

| Feb low C = 25.7

| Mar low C = 25.8

| Apr low C = 26.2

| May low C = 26.3

| Jun low C = 26.3

| Jul low C = 26.2

| Aug low C = 26.0

| Sep low C = 26.1

| Oct low C = 26.0

| Nov low C = 26.0

| Dec low C = 25.9

| year low C = 26.0

| Jan record low C = 22.0

| Feb record low C = 22.0

| Mar record low C = 22.1

| Apr record low C = 21.4

| May record low C = 20.5

| Jun record low C = 22.0

| Jul record low C = 21.0

| Aug record low C = 7.1

| Sep record low C = 20.0

| Oct record low C = 19.9

| Nov record low C = 21.7

| Dec record low C = 21.5

| year record low C =

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 413.8

| Feb precipitation mm = 351.2

| Mar precipitation mm = 354.3

| Apr precipitation mm = 274.9

| May precipitation mm = 241.4

| Jun precipitation mm = 215.0

| Jul precipitation mm = 242.9

| Aug precipitation mm = 254.0

| Sep precipitation mm = 206.5

| Oct precipitation mm = 253.6

| Nov precipitation mm = 256.4

| Dec precipitation mm = 332.6

| year precipitation mm = 3396.5

| unit precipitation days = 1 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 19.2

| Feb precipitation days = 18.5

| Mar precipitation days = 19.3

| Apr precipitation days = 17.3

| May precipitation days = 17.4

| Jun precipitation days = 17.0

| Jul precipitation days = 18.1

| Aug precipitation days = 18.3

| Sep precipitation days = 16.2

| Oct precipitation days = 16.1

| Nov precipitation days = 16.2

| Dec precipitation days = 18.9

| year precipitation days = 212.5

|Jan humidity = 82

|Feb humidity = 82

|Mar humidity = 82

|Apr humidity = 82

|May humidity = 82

|Jun humidity = 82

|Jul humidity = 83

|Aug humidity = 82

|Sep humidity = 81

|Oct humidity = 81

|Nov humidity = 80

|Dec humidity = 81

|year humidity = 82

|Jan sun = 179.8

|Feb sun = 161.0

|Mar sun = 186.0

|Apr sun = 201.0

|May sun = 195.3

|Jun sun = 201.0

|Jul sun = 195.3

|Aug sun = 220.1

|Sep sun = 210.0

|Oct sun = 232.5

|Nov sun = 189.0

|Dec sun = 176.7

|year sun =

|Jand sun = 5.8

|Febd sun = 5.7

|Mard sun = 6.0

|Aprd sun = 6.7

|Mayd sun = 6.3

|Jund sun = 6.7

|Juld sun = 6.3

|Augd sun = 7.1

|Sepd sun = 7.0

|Octd sun = 7.5

|Novd sun = 6.3

|Decd sun = 5.7

|yeard sun = 6.4

| source 1 = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/5.5/data/0-data/Region-5-WMO-Normals-9120/Tuvalu/CSV/FUNAFUTI_AERO_91643.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|format = CSV

|access-date = 9 September 2024}}

|source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1961–1990, sun 1978–1990)

{{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_916430_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Funafuti / Tuvalu (Ellice-Inseln)

| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world

| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst

| language = de

| access-date = 22 November 2016}}

}}

File:Funafuti banner Beach.jpg

Funafuti International Airport {{airport codes|FUN|NGFU}} is located on Fongafale.

Fiji Airways, the owner of Fiji Airlines (trading as Fiji Link) operates air transport services three times per week (on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) between Suva and Funafuti. The flights originate in Nadi, and use ATR 72-600 aircraft, which can carry up to 68 passengers.

Fongafale has port facilities and two passenger/cargo ships, Nivaga III and Manu Folau, which make roundtrips between Fongafale and the outer islands about once every three or four weeks, and also travel between Suva, Fiji,[http://www.shipping.com.fj Fiji shipping agent, Williams & Gosling] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215212740/http://www.shipping.com.fj/ |date=15 December 2018 }}. and Funafuti about three or four times a year.

In 2015 the Japanese government donated the Nivaga III, to Tuvalu, to replace the Nivaga II, which had served Tuvalu since 1989.{{cite web | last =Moceituba | first =Atasa | title =Brand-new vessel for Tuvalu | work =The Fiji Times | date =3 February 2016 | url =http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=340189 | access-date =17 March 2016 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160324094852/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=340189 | archive-date =24 March 2016 | url-status =dead }}

• 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.
• Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau: This bureau offers a wide range of Tuvaluan stamps and other philatelic items.{{Cite web |title=Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau – Timeless Tuvalu |url=https://www.timelesstuvalu.com/tour-item/tuvalu-philatelic-bureau/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |language=en-US}}
• David's Drill: This historic site marks the location where scientists conducted experimental drilling in the late 1800s to test Charles Darwin's theory of atoll formation.{{Cite web |date=2015-05-27 |title=Drilling for Darwin |url=http://michaelkew.com/dispatches/2015/5/27/drilling-for-darwin |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=MICHAEL H. KEW |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Funafuti Atoll |url=https://iugs-geoheritage.org/geoheritage_sites/funafuti-atoll-tuvalu/#:~:text=Funafuti%20Atoll%20is%20an%20internationally,et%20al.,%201904). |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=IUGS |language=en}}
• Tuvalu National Library: A place to explore a collection of books and learn more about Tuvalu's history and culture.{{Cite web |title=Timeless Tuvalu – Welcome to the official tourism site for island nation of Tuvalu. |url=https://www.timelesstuvalu.com/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |language=en-US}}
• Church of Tuvalu: The state church of Tuvalu, which plays a role in the country's national events and cultural practices.{{Cite web |title=Tuvalu |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/tuvalu/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US}}
• Tuvalu Women's Handicraft Centre: Famous for locally made handicrafts, perfect for souvenirs and gifts.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-03 |title=Unique Souvenirs from Tuvalu |url=https://souvenirsideas.com/2024/10/03/souvenirs-from-tuvalu/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Souvenir Ideas to Take Home from Every Country and City |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Schafer |first=Norm |date=2024-07-18 |title=Tuvalu's Handicraft Markets: A Colorful Encounter |url=https://farandawayadventures.com/tuvalus-handicraft-markets-a-colorful-encounter/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Far and Away Adventures |language=en-US}}

The Funafuti Falekaupule is the local council, with the Kaupule as the executive of the Falekaupule.{{cite web|work= Funafuti Falekaupule|title= Funafuti Strategic Plan 2011–2015|date= February 2011|url= http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/TUV_2011_Funafuti_StrageticPlan.pdf|access-date= 26 April 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100522/http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/TUV_2011_Funafuti_StrageticPlan.pdf|archive-date= 4 March 2016|url-status= dead}} 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.{{cite web|title=Pacific Aviation Investment Program (PAIP) Environmental Management Plan – Funafuti International Airport(FUN) and Road Interim Working Document|publisher=AECOM|date=13 November 2013|url=http://tvaip.com//docstation/com_docstation/8/tuvalu_emp_final_draft_rev_f.pdf|access-date=18 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325114135/http://tvaip.com//docstation/com_docstation/8/tuvalu_emp_final_draft_rev_f.pdf|archive-date=25 March 2016|url-status=live}}

Funafuti is one of the eight constituencies in Tuvalu, and elects two members of parliament. The 2024 general election in Tuvalu resulted in the re-election of Simon Kofe, the election of Tuafafa Latasi, and the defeat of incumbent Kausea Natano.{{cite news| url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/507716/tuvalu-general-election-six-newcomers-in-parliament | title=Tuvalu general election: Six newcomers in parliament |work=Radio New Zealand |date= 29 January 2024 |access-date=29 January 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Marinaccio|first1=Jess |title=Tuvalu's 2024 general election: a new political landscape|url=https://devpolicy.org/2024-tuvalu-general-election-a-changing-political-landscape-20240130/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |work=PolicyDevBlog|date=30 January 2024}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = Funafuti constituency results

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Tuafafa Latasi 16px

| party = Non-partisan

| votes = 351

| percentage = 31.08

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Simon Kofe 16px

| party = Non-partisan

| votes = 348

| percentage = 30.82

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Kausea Natano

| party = Non-partisan

| votes = 331

| percentage = 29.32

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Iosua Samasoni

| party = Non-partisan

| votes = 53

| percentage = 4.70

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Luke Paeniu

| party = Non-partisan

| votes = 37

| percentage = 0.13

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Jack Mataio Taleka

| party = Non-partisan

| votes = 9

| percentage = 0.8

}}

{{Election box end}}

File:Fetuvalu High School on Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu.jpg

Four tertiary institutions on Funafuti offer technical and vocational courses: Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute (TMTI), Tuvalu Atoll Science Technology Training Institute (TASTII), Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) and University of the South Pacific (USP) Extension Centre.{{cite web|url= https://www.usp.ac.fj/news/story.php?id=3268|title= Tuvalu Theory of Change Coalition Consultation|publisher= The University of the South Pacific|date= 6 July 2020|access-date= 10 January 2021|archive-date= 11 January 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210111230331/https://www.usp.ac.fj/news/story.php?id=3268|url-status= deviated}}

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).{{cite web | last =2012 Population & Housing Census Preliminary Analytical Report | work =Ministry of Education and Sports, and Ministry of Finance and Economic Development from the Government of Tuvalu; and the United Nations System in the Pacific Islands | title =Tuvalu: Millennium Development Goal Acceleration Framework – Improving Quality of Education | date =April 2013 | url =http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/MDG/MDG%20Acceleration%20Framework/MAF%20Reports/RBAP/MAF%20Tuvalu-FINAL-%20April%204.pdf | access-date =13 October 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140213133607/http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/MDG/MDG%20Acceleration%20Framework/MAF%20Reports/RBAP/MAF%20Tuvalu-FINAL-%20April%204.pdf | archive-date =13 February 2014 | url-status =dead }}

The Church of Tuvalu operates Fetuvalu Secondary School.{{cite web | title= Fetuvalu High School (Funafuti) | url= http://wikimapia.org/10435819/Fetuvalu-High-School | access-date= 20 November 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130927210334/http://wikimapia.org/10435819/Fetuvalu-High-School | archive-date= 27 September 2013 | url-status= live }}{{cite web | last= Holowaty Krales | first= Amelia | title= TB Workshop at Fetu Valu Secondary School | date= 10 March 2011 | url= http://ameliaholowatykrales.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/tb-workshop-at-fetu-valu-secondary.html | access-date= 20 November 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130928133342/http://ameliaholowatykrales.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/tb-workshop-at-fetu-valu-secondary.html | archive-date= 28 September 2013 | url-status= live }} The University of the South Pacific (USP){{cite web| work= Welcome to the Tuvalu Campus| title= University of the South Pacific – Tuvalu Campus|year= 2019| url= https://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=3666| access-date= 28 August 2019| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180425224152/https://www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=3666| archive-date= 25 April 2018| url-status= live}} Extension Centre on Funafuti operates the Augmented Foundation Programme for sixth form students who pass their Pacific Secondary School Certificate (PSSC) so that students have the opportunity to enroll in tertiary education programmes outside of Tuvalu. The Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute (TMTI) is located on the islet of Amatuku.

• Sir Toaripi Lauti, {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCMG|PC}} (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).
• Sir Kamuta Latasi, {{postnominals|country=GBR|KCMG|OBE|PC|MP}} (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).
• Kausea Natano (born 5 July 1957){{cite web |url=https://www.forumsec.org/kausea-natano/ |title=THE HON KAUSEA NATANO PRIME MINISTER TUVALU |publisher=Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat |access-date=12 January 2021 |archive-date=9 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109205332/https://www.forumsec.org/kausea-natano/ |url-status=dead }} was the 13th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (from 19 September 2019 to 26 February 2024). He represented Funafuti as a Member of Parliament from the 2002 Tuvaluan general election until the 2024 Tuvaluan general election.

• Funafuti Conservation Area
• History of Tuvalu
• List of Guano Island claims
• {{portal-inline|Tuvalu}}

• {{cite journal |ref= Hedley |last1= Hedley |first1= Charles |title= General account of the Atoll of Funafuti |url= http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |year= 1896 |journal= Australian Museum Memoir |volume= 3 |issue= 2 |pages= 1–72 |doi= 10.3853/j.0067-1967.3.1896.487 |access-date= 28 September 2013 |archive-date= 15 October 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131015112253/http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Journals/16686/487_complete.pdf |url-status= dead}}
• {{in lang|en}} {{cite web |author= Kench, Thompson, Ford, Ogawa and McLean |title= GSA DATA REPOSITORY 2015184 (Changes in planform characteristics of 29 islands located on Funafuti's atoll rim)|year= 2015 |url= https://www.geosociety.org/datarepository/2015/2015184.pdf |publisher= The Geological Society of America |access-date= 22 January 2017}}
• {{cite web|last= Lambert |first= Sylvester M.|work= Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego |title= Young woman, member of the O'Brien family, Funafuti, Tuvalu |url= http://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb13661628 |access-date= 18 November 2017 }}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Islands of Tuvalu}}

{{List of Oceanian capitals by region}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Atolls of Tuvalu

Category:Capitals in Oceania

Category:Pacific islands claimed under the Guano Islands Act

Category:Former disputed islands

Category:First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites