Tuvalu Mo Te Atua (Tuvaluan) ("Ellice Islands For the Almighty") | ||||||
| Anthem | "Tuvalu Mo Te Atua" | |||||
| Capital (and largest city) |
Funafuti | |||||
| Language | English, Tuvaluan | |||||
| Religion | Protestantism, traditional religions | |||||
| Demonym | Tuvaluan | |||||
| Established | 1 October 1945 | |||||
The Ellice Islands (Tuvaluan: Tuvalu) are an archipelago and a colony of Great Britain: located in Polynesia, they were previously administered as a single entity with the neighboring Gilbert Islands, but were made into their own colony after the Great War. The archipelago consists of three reef islands and six atolls.
The Ellice Islands were, like the Gilbert Islands, acquired by Britain during the late 19th century, as the major colonial powers of Europe sought to expand their spheres of influence in Oceania. The economy of the islands is relatively strong, and depends on fishing, naval industry and tourism. English is the official language employed by the colonial government, but Tuvaluan, a Polynesian language, is also widely spoken by the natives.