Tuvalu: Flag and Facts
Tuvalu's flag has a light blue field, the UK flag in its top left quarter, and nine yellow five-pointed stars spread across the right half like a map.
- Capital
- Funafuti
- Region
- Polynesia
- Population
- 11,824 (2025)
- Languages
- English, Tuvaluan
- Currency
- Australian dollar, Tuvaluan dollar
- Area
- 26 km² (10 sq mi)
- People
- Tuvaluan
- Calling code
- +688
- Highest point
- unnamed location 5 m
- Independence
- 1 October 1978 (from the UK)
- National symbols
- maneapa (native meeting house)
- Borders
- No land borders
About Tuvalu
Voyagers from Samoa or Tonga first made a home in Tuvalu during the first millennium A.D. Later, the islands later served as a stepping-stone for Polynesians heading to Melanesia and Micronesia. Ships from the US, Britain, the Netherlands and Russia stopped by around the turn of the 19th century, and the group was named the Ellice Islands in 1819. Britain declared a protectorate in 1892 and joined them with the Gilbert Islands.
Tuvaluans voted to split from the colony in 1974, got self-rule in 1975 and became independent on 1 October 1978. Only 11,824 people live here, on 26 square kilometers of low, narrow coral atolls. The highest point is just 5 meters above the sea. Funafuti is the capital, home to about 7,000 people.
Did you know?
- A maneapa, a traditional meeting house, is Tuvalu's national symbol.
- Tuvalu uses both the Australian dollar and the Tuvaluan dollar.
- Westerly gales and heavy rain hit between November and March.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Tuvalu
What do the stars on Tuvalu's flag mean?
Each of the nine stars stands for an atoll, so together they form a map of the country.
What languages are spoken in Tuvalu?
Tuvaluan and English are the listed languages.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.