Vaiaku, Tuvalu

Vaiaku is a village on the atoll of Funafuti, the most populous atoll of the remote island nation of Tuvalu. While the entire atoll is Tuvalu's official capital, Vaiaku is the site of all administrative buildings. It is also the only area with paved roads and electricity. Because of rising sea levels, Vaiaku is disappearing. Administrators anticipate that 80 percent of the small land mass will be submerged by the mid-twenty-first century.

Landscape

Vaiaku is located on the Fongafale islet that is a part of the coral atoll of Funafuti, one of the six atolls and three islets that comprise the independent nation of Tuvalu. Combined, these six atolls and three islets total 26 square kilometers (10 square miles). Vaiaku borders the Funafuti Lagoon, an enclosed lagoon that is considered the most popular attraction on the islet.

Funafuti's location in the South Pacific, roughly 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) north of Fiji, places it close to the hurricane center of the world. The island usually experiences hurricanes between November and April, though changes in ocean currents and the El Niño and La Niña effects, which result in temporary changes of the Pacific Ocean climate in and around the area of the equator, have made the storms considerably worse. The islet is located at 4 meters (13 feet) above sea level. With the ocean rising at the steady and fast rate of an inch per year, land is shrinking quickly and the coast is breaking apart.

Vaiaku has a tropical climate, with average temperatures remaining around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) year round, day and night. The wet season lasts from late winter to early spring, with an annual average rainfall of about 3,000 millimeters (118 inches). The rest of the year is characterized by pleasant trade winds.

The administrative offices of Tuvalu are found in Vaiaku, as is the country's only international airport (the Funafuti International Airport) and only hotel (the Vaiaku Lagi Hotel). The area between Vaiaku village and the edge of the lagoon boasts paved roads and lighted streets—all unique to the country. In addition, Vaiaku contains no standing waters, and the water supply consists of rainwater stored in tanks.

People

The small population of Vaiaku is of Polynesian descent, with a population of only a few hundred. According to the CIA World Factbook, 11,639 citizens live in Tuvalu. The Indigenous tongue is Tuvaluan, a Polynesian language, although English is spoken just as widely. The currency on the islands is the Australian dollar, though Tuvaluan coins are circulated.

Native holidays on Vaiaku include Commonwealth Day in March, National Children's Day in August, and the Tuvalu National Days on October 1–2. Vaiaku is largely a Christian community; Protestantism is the most commonly practiced form. A popular cultural pastime on the atoll is traditional dancing, known as fatale. It is practiced on special occasions and holidays, and during dancing and singing festivals called falekaupule; these festivals take place nearly every night on Funafuti.

Economy

Funafuti atoll has a port adjacent to Vaiaku to accommodate cargo ships, while other vessels are able to enter the Funafuti Lagoon, allowing a busy import business. Virtually all commodities must be imported, most importantly fuel and most foodstuffs. Natural resources like coconuts, fish, shellfish and birds are exported for profit, though much of the islands' income comes from remittances, or overseas workers sending money back to their families. More than half of the population of Tuvalu survives on subsistence farming and fishing. A small number of locally operated accommodations, bars, lounges, and restaurants within Vaiaku stimulate the flow of money through the island.

The entire commercial economy of Tuvalu is run by the government in Vaiaku, and the one airline servicing the atoll and the island's single hotel are also government-controlled. The government also manages all foreign investment in the nation. Because of the limited space, water, and resources, there are few investment opportunities, and no commercial manufacturing in Vaiaku. Sales of fishing licenses are among the government's most important sources of income.

In 2002, Tuvalu's government sold its national web domain (.tv) to the American company Verisign for annual payments worth millions of dollars, providing a major source of national income. Tuvalu's economy also depends upon the Tuvalu Trust Fund, which the Vaiaku government manages through national investments and foreign aid from countries such as Japan, which gave $7.5 million to Tuvalu in February 2007 for the development of electric power infrastructure.

Landmarks

Vaiaku's commercial landmarks are limited to the small airstrip, which receives flights from Fiji, and the government-run Vaiaku Lagi Hotel. A Women's Handicraft Center (there is one on every atoll and islet) is also located at the airport. At these centers, customers can buy handmade fans, baskets, mats, and wood carvings. The quality is renowned in neighboring countries. In addition, Tuvalu also produces some of the rarest postage stamps in the world, which have become highly prized in the world of stamp collecting.

Vaiaku's tropical environment is its most appealing landmark. The landscape is characterized by white sand beaches, sparkling tropical water, and blooming coconut trees. The water inside and outside of the atoll houses reefs and diverse marine life, and is a popular spot for snorkeling. The fish, plants, tropical birds, ferns and trees on and surrounding the island are attractive and easily viewable by visitors.

Vaiaku is also located within the Funafuti Conservation Area. The area covers 52 square kilometers (20 square miles) of land and water on the left side of Funafuti atoll. No fishing, hunting, or destruction of habitat is permitted. This conservation area protects Tuvalu's reef and lagoon species, as well as terrestrial mammal and vegetative species. However, these ecosystems are threatened by climate change and associated rising sea levels that threaten to totally submerge the islands of Tuvalu.

History

The inhabitation of Tuvalu began some two thousand years ago. Settlers on Funafuti atoll were of Polynesian descent, and Tuvaluan society was led by chiefs, or Aliki, who were able to maintain their culture and customs uninterrupted until the nineteenth century.

The first sighting of the Tuvalu islands by Europeans was made in the mid-sixteenth century by the Spanish sailor and explorer Alvera de Mendana y Neyra. In the late eighteenth century, another Spanish sailor, Don Francisco Maurelle, located the islands, but both incidents of Spanish discovery raised little to no interest.

The first European expansion onto Funafuti occurred in 1819, when American Captain Arent de Peyster also discovered it by accident. De Peyster is responsible for giving Tuvalu the name of the Ellice Islands after the wealthy London merchant and benefactor, Edward Ellice. American fishermen frequented Tuvalu following the discovery and mapping of all of its islands. In the 1860s, slave traders landed on Funafuti, kidnapping hundreds of locals and selling them into the Peruvian slave system.

Missionaries from London arrived on the island in 1861, and Great Britain began to govern the Ellice Islands in 1877. To prevent Germany from gaining control of the islands, Britain pronounced them an official colony in 1892.

During World War II, the Japanese occupied the nearby Gilbert Islands, now a part of Kiribati. American troops responded by taking over Funafuti, beginning in 1942. The American occupation of Funafuti and other Tuvaluan islands allowed the Allies to combat the Japanese in Kiribati, leading up to the Battle of Tarawa; the remnants of fortified buildings and airplanes can still be seen strewn about Tuvalu. In addition, during World War II, the controlling arm of the British government moved to Funafuti, but was subsequently removed to Fiji.

The educational system on Funafuti survived the war, allowing citizens to leave for better employment opportunities in Kiribati. As Kiribati became a self-governing nation in 1974, the Ellice Islands seceded from the Gilbert Islands in 1975. In 1976, the seat of administration of the Ellice Islands, now Tuvalu, moved to Vaiaku. An independent constitutional monarchy was declared in 1978, and in 2000, Tuvalu joined the United Nations (UN).

In 2005, a storm destroyed the islet of Tepuka Savilivili in the Funafuti Conservation Area, foreshadowing the environmental struggles that Funafuti faced. With global warming, pollution, and rising sea levels, Funafuti risks complete destruction and submersion within the next century. Erosion and saltwater intrusion have already drowned many coconut trees, while floods and high tides have destroyed homes and land. Changing weather patterns linked to climate change also have the potential to affect Tuvalu in other ways; increasingly severe El Niño and La Niña effects are thought to raise the chances of powerful storms and droughts. A 2011 drought led to a state of emergency in the country, as did Cyclone Pam in 2015. The Vaiaku government is expected to become increasingly dependent upon foreign aid and assistance as circumstances continue to worsen through the twenty-first century.

Bibliography

"Country Facts." The Permanent Mission of Tuvalu to the United Nations, United Nations, www.un.int/tuvalu/tuvalu/country-facts. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024.

"Tuvalu." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 20 Feb. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/tuvalu/#people-and-society. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.

Tuvalu Central Statistics Division. Statistics for Development Division, SPC, tuvalu.prism.spc.int/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2016.

"Tuvalu Country Profile." BBC News, BBC, 26 Feb. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16340072. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.