Visit Tuvalu before it disappears

"To see Naples and die" - who does not know the words of Goethe? The eighteenth-century German scholar was so enchanted by the Italian city that he sighed more than he spoke. And we can paraphrase them to describe the beauty of another place, the archipelago of paradise islets in the Pacific Ocean.

Tuvalu is a country in western Polynesia. Although in Tuvalu its name means "eight islands", it actually consists of nine, and in Polish it is called Lagoon Islands. It is so exotic and remote that most people have never heard of it. Even less knows where it is. Many of them may never learn about it - the more so as, according to UN research, there is a high risk that it will disappear under the waters of the Pacific by 2050.

Tuvalu - little wonders in the great ocean

Most of the islets of Tuvalu are tiny. They are actually tiny scraps of land on the water. For example, the gracefully named Funafuti has 2.79 km², Nukulaelae 1.82 km², and the microscopic Niulakita - only 0.42 km². The other sisters also have beautiful names: Nui, Nanumanga, Niutao, Nukufetau, Nanumea and the largest, Vaitupu (5.60 km²).

The largest number of people live on the capital's Funafuti Atoll, and the least on Niulakita, which is considered deserted. The official languages are Tuvalu and English, and about 96% of the inhabitants are Polynesian.

Paradise in danger

The Americans contributed to the fact that islets may disappear beneath the surface of the ocean. During World War II, they literally razed all the hills on Tuvalu to the ground, setting up an air base. As a result, the islets are very flat (their height does not exceed 5 m above sea level).

To prevent a tragedy and save the archipelago from the fate of Atlantis, the coasts are strengthened with rapidly growing shrubs and trees. In addition to the afforestation action, a treaty was signed under which, in the event of a flood, residents are to be quickly evacuated by the New Zealand Navy.

I must admit that it is ironic - to be on a huge ocean, under the threat of being drowned in the not-so-distant future, and to suffer from a water shortage. Drinking water must be collected in special rain tanks and is extremely valuable.

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Europeans can safely call the Lagoon Islands the end of the world. Not only because they are so far from the old continent, but also because they are cut off from the gains of civilization. On the islands, no one will use a cell phone or a smartphone, telecommunications is very poorly developed, and communication takes place via radiotelephones. International calls are made possible by satellite, and there is only one radio station in Tuvalu. About 15% of inhabitants use the Internet, so holidays on the islands will be equal to holidays from social networks, blogs and vlogs. But is it a minus when you are in such a beautiful place?

It's not everything. On the Lagoon Islands, there are 8 kilometers of paved roads, and the main means of transport are bicycles and mopeds. The individual islands can be reached by ships, and further distances require the use of a plane. The capital of Tuvalu has an airport with a paved runway.

The applicable currency is the Tuvalian dollar , linked to an Australian ratio of 1: 1. If someone has not had time to replace it, he does not have to worry - Australian dollars can be used on the islands without any problems.

A vacation in paradise

On Tuvalu you can feel like the Little Prince on your planet, because the islands are microscopic points in the vastness of the ocean. One lazy wave of the wave is enough to cover the flat space with merciless water. Being aware of this, man finds his fragility compared to the power of the surrounding element.

To the average European, the story of the Lagoon Islands sounds like a fairy tale, but Tuvalu is gradually attracting tourists. There will never be a lot of them, if only because they simply will not fit into such a small space, but more and more people want to visit the paradise islands. There are hotels, fabulous colors of a coral reef and a range of attractions for lovers of diving, snorkeling and yachting.