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Tuvalu Geography 2000 Location: Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 178 00 E Map references: Oceania Area:
Area - comparative: 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 24 km Maritime claims:
Climate: tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) Terrain: very low-lying and narrow coral atolls Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: fish Land use:
Irrigated land: NA sq km Natural hazards: severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low-level of islands make them very sensitive to sea-level rise Environment - current issues: since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is very concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table Environment - international agreements:
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