Tuvalu is about to sink to the bottom of the sea

Tuvalu (formerly known as the "Ellis Islands", also known as the "Lagoon Islands") is located in the South Pacific. It consists of 9 atolls, with a land area of approximately 26 square kilometers. It is the world's second-largest island country after Nauru and the fourth-smallest country in the world (only higher than the Vatican, Monaco and Nauru).

"Tuvalu" means "group of eight islands" in Polynesian. Tuvalu has a maximum altitude of 4.5 meters. Due to its extremely low terrain, rising temperatures and sea levels seriously threaten Tuvalu, putting the country at risk of sinking into the seabed. Tuvalu is short of resources, barren land, only a few plants can grow, and has almost no natural resources. It is one of the world's least developed countries (LDCs) announced by the United Nations.

Tuvalu has a tropical maritime climate. The average annual temperature is 29℃, and the temperature difference is small. The dry season is from March to October, and the rainy season is from November to February of the following year. The average annual precipitation is 3000 mm.

Funafuti is the capital of Tuvalu. It covers an area of just over 2 square kilometers and consists of 35 small coral islands. However, it houses 1/3 of the country's population. Funafuti used to be a colonial center. After 1978, it became Tuvalu's political and transportation center.

Tuvalu people are Polynesian and belong to the same ethnic group as Tonga and Samoa. Tuvalans account for 97% of the total population, and the rest are Kiribati and European. The main local language is Tuvalu, the official language is English, and people living on the northern island of Nui use Kiribati dialect.

Residents across Tuvalu believe in Christianity. There are four churches and eight community halls on Funafuti, both of which maintain the religious and family beliefs of the Tuwaru people. Since people from all islands have moved to Funafuti Island to live, the meeting house serves as a place to maintain the feelings and gather of the island's residents. Each island has a meeting place, while Nui and Niulakita are integrated into one island due to their small population. On average, there are about three to four island gatherings a year. In addition to traditional food, the island gatherings show the enthusiasm and nation of the South Pacific with singing and dancing.

Tuvalu's traditional delicacies, such as fekei, falifu, and subumei, are mostly made from mashed taro and breadfruit and added to coconut milk. Food is prepared separately by each household. Each household prepares a large basket of food, puts it in a laulau made of forest leaves, and brings it to the gathering place to share. Traditional cooking methods are mainly boiled and fried. The wine is collected from the juice from the stems of coconut trees to form Towdy, and then fermented for three days to make it a traditional wine Kao; Towdy is diluted and becomes a daily beverage. In the song and dance section, after dinner, the host and guest teams will compete. Each party will wear traditional costumes or formal costumes and respond to each other with traditional songs and dances. The feature is that Tuguo music uses a box instead of drums as accompaniment. The whole team will devote themselves to singing and dancing crazily. The beat and singing sound resounded through the sky to express their enthusiasm for welcoming guests. Tuguo has simple folk customs, good public security, and values sharing. Villagers from the same island can borrow a meeting house, and most of the food is shared by fellow villagers on the same island. This family tradition has resulted in no roadside begging in the country, where the annual national income is only about US$1663 (2004).

on the clothing. Islanders, both men and women, wear Salon Skirts (Sulu Fiji / Lavalava), one of the characteristics of southern culture. Girls 'SULUs are brightly colored and knotted on the side; boys' clothes are dark and have no design, and look like suit pants and tied on the middle side. For formal occasions, men will most likely wear brightly colored Island wears their upper body; women will wear one-piece dresses. Most residents don't wear shoes on weekdays. Even when they go to work in an office building or have business meetings with ministers, they use slippers instead of leather shoes. Children walking barefoot is also a long-term sight on street corners.

Local customs and traditions require people who are about to leave Tuguo to wear shells or necklaces made of local seeds around their necks to express their reluctance. The more necklaces around your neck, the better your popularity is. Airplane take-off and landing hours are also a good time for residents across the island to gather. If you want to find someone or want to meet important people, wait near the airport, it will probably not be disappointing.

Due to global warming, polar glaciers melt and upper seawater heat and expand, causing global sea level rise. The extremely low altitude island country of Tuvalu is sinking day by day.

"Since 1993, Tuvalu's land area has shrunk by 2%." TavalaKatea, chief forecaster of the Tuvalu Meteorological Service, said in an exclusive interview in his office,"Before 2000, there was a small island about 5 meters wide and about 10 meters long in the water in the middle of Funafuti Atoll. At that time, there were a large number of coconut trees growing on the island, which can be seen clearly from my office. Today, this island has sunk to the bottom of the sea, and only a little shadow can be seen when the tide is low."

A set of test data provided by TavalaKatea shows that in the 16 years from 1993 to 2009, Tuvalu's sea level has risen by a total of 9.12 centimeters. Based on this figure, 50 years later, sea level will rise by 37.6 centimeters, which means that at least 60% of Tuvalu's land will be completely submerged in the sea. TavalaKatea believes that this means extinction for Tuvalu, because no piece of Tuvalu will be exposed to the sea at high tide.

In fact, the end of Tuvalu may come early. Tuvalu's entire land is composed of coral reefs. Global warming will slow down the growth rate of corals and even die in large numbers. Tuvalu, which is supported by coral reefs, will also "sink" as a result.

In November 2003, leaders of the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu said in a statement that their efforts to combat sea level rise had failed and that the country's residents would gradually withdraw.