Te Namo lagoon
Turquoise water.
Davidarfonjones — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade — CC BY 2.0 · mrlins — CC BY 2.0 · mrlins — CC BY 2.0 · Stefan Lins — CC BY-SA 2.0 · mrlins — CC BY 2.0
Funafuti is a coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean and the capital of Tuvalu. A thin strip of land curves around a wide lagoon, with calm turquoise water on one side, ocean waves on the other, and a single road between coconut palms. The land is just 20 to 400 m wide and rings the Te Namo lagoon, 18 km long and 14 km wide, with an area of 275 km², by far the largest lagoon in Tuvalu. Its 33 islets add up to only 2.4 km² of land, most of it less than 1 m above the sea. About 60% of the country's people live here, and it is the world's easternmost capital. On the west side of the lagoon is the Funafuti Conservation Area, 33 km² of reef, lagoon and islets where green sea turtles and black noddies nest. You go out by boat to swim and snorkel among coral and fish, and walk the beaches of quiet islets. The main islet, Fongafale, holds Vaiaku, the administrative centre, by the airport. You get around by bicycle or scooter on the single road, and arrange the boat to the conservation area ahead. Dress modestly out of the water, and Sunday is a quiet day.
Turquoise water.
Coral and turtles.
Between two waters.
Fongafale islet, Funafuti, Tuvalu
By boat arranged ahead from Fongafale.
By bicycle or scooter.