Explaining Tuvalu’ s role in modern coins
The tiny Polynesian island country of Tuvalu has found some innovative ways to earn revenue in the modern world.
Located in the Pacific Ocean roughly midway between Australia and Hawaii, the Micronesian chain was first visited by Europeans in the early 19th century. It was proclaimed a British protectorate in 1892 and became a colony in 1916.
The fascinating characters and culture of what were then the Gilbert and Ellice Islands first came to widespread attention after the 1952 publication of the captivating adventure memoir A Pattern of Islands( better known in the United States as We Chose the Islands) by Sir Arthur Grimble.
The islanders voted to become independent in 1974, leading to the establishment of two new separate states. While the Gilberts became Kiribati( pronounced‘ Kiribas’), the Ellice Islands were henceforth known as Tuvalu( pronounced‘ Too VAH loo’).
At less than half of the size of Melbourne’ s CBD, Tuvalu is one of the smallest nations on Earth. Even so, it has been a member of the Commonwealth, an association of 53 independent and equal sovereign states, since 1978.