Where is the least visited country on earth?
Tuvalu is a paradise without tourists. Just like in Tuvalu, some people imagine paradise: the ocean turquoise blue, beaches with white sand and coconut palms swaying in the wind, almost no cars, no noise, pure tranquility. What more do you want?
If you or your parents don’t collect postage stamps, you have probably hardly heard of this country. From where? Because Tuvalu is one of the least visited countries in the world in terms of visitor numbers. And the number of visitors is not increasing, but is decreasing. The Tuvalu government is not doing that much about it either. You want to stay the way you are, and tourists would only hurt. Maybe that’s not such a wrong decision?
How can you make good money with an internet extension?
Tuvalu has the internet ending “.tv” in the www. That stands for Tuvalu. But many a television station would like to have exactly this ending, which is often borrowed – for a fee, of course.
Postage stamps
Postage stamps from Tuvalu are in great demand all over the world. And who is who decorates some of the stamps? The Queen of England, or the Queen for short.
Problems
Land under water!
Global warming has consequences for the life of the population in Tuvalu. The Tuvalu government tried to apply for asylum for its residents in Australia and New Zealand. 4000 residents no longer live in their homeland, but in New Zealand. For a long time, this request was rejected by the Australian and New Zealand governments. A change of heart is slowly taking place, as we now know how justified the people’s fears in Tuvalu are.
Tuvalu, like the islands of Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, is in danger of slowly sinking into the sea. Scientists argue about how quickly this will go. The pace will certainly also depend on how quickly we can stop global warming. This would be an important prerequisite for saving these flat island landscapes.
Rubbish
There is also a significant waste problem. While people used to eat primarily fruits and vegetables, today they are buying more and more plastic products and canned food. But there is no waste disposal. This is what it looks like in the more densely populated regions like in the photo above.
How do you get to water?
The soils are extremely poor in nutrients, so that the rainwater seeps away immediately. Usually it is permeable limestone soils, here the water does not stop. The rainwater is collected in so-called cisterns, i.e. containers in which the water is collected. Only a few plants grow on the islands.
Water often has to be brought in because some islands have far too little water reserves at certain times.
People live from what nature has to offer, but the rise in sea levels threatens their existence. The changes take place slowly, the soils become too salty, often without much attention.
Eating in Tuvalu
Breadfruit as fries
Traditionally, people in Tuvalu eat coconuts, pandanus fruits and bananas. Fish dishes, especially tuna, are very popular. The breadfruit is also used in various dishes, including French fries.
However, as on many Pacific islands, the problem here is that people are now eating less from the food that is available on the islands, but importing food that is harmful to them. In addition to high-sugar drinks, this also includes canned fatty meat.
The consequences of this are much too fat people, especially the children are often overweight at a young age.
