Travellers are recommended to take out full medical insurance before departure. Tuvalu's only hospital is in Funafuti; the outer islands only have trained nurses. More serious and complicated problems may require medicinal evacuation to Fiji or Australia.
Officially name: Tuvalu
Capital: Funafuti
Official language: Tuvaluan, English
Government: Parliamentary Democracy & Constitutional monarchy
The Western Pacific nation of Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is situated 4,000 kilometers (2,500 mi) northeast of Australia. It is one half of the way from Hawaii to Australia. Tuvalu consists of three reef islands and six atolls. The islands of Tuvalu have poor soil and a total land area of only about 26 km², less than 10 sq mi (30 km2).