Okay everyone...I was taking a quiz in the World Languages category I think, and the question asked what the official language of the country of Tuvalu. The answer was that there is no official language of Tuvalu, but when I looked up the country on Microsoft Encarta Library 2003, it said that the two official languages of Tuvalu are both Tuvaluan and English. Can someone help me out? Who's right?

kego,

It appears you are right and the question has been fixed. Thanks for letting us know.

To save the rest of you rushing to find the Atlas to work out just where Tuvalu is ... read on.

Okay, it's in the west central Pacific Ocean about 4020km north east of Sydney. It comprises of nine atolls with just a total land area of 26 square kilometres. Estimated population as of July 1999 was 10,558 and 96% of them are Polynesian. Funafuti is the capital and 2,856 people have the pleasure of living there.

Tuvaluan is a Polynesian-Samoan dialect. English is widely spoke and another lesser used language is a Kiribati dialect. They have no military force, one AM radio station, 4,000 radios, 400 telephones, no television service and one ISP, Education is free (all of 1999) and there is a 95% literacy rate (1992), eight km's of roads (1996) (I love that).

Tuvula Day(s), Anniversary of Independence is 1-2 October.

The main idustries are fishing, tourism and copra and a large source of income is the many Tuvaluans working abroad. (many work in the phosphate industry on Nauru). In 1996 there were 1,000 tourism visitors to the islands.

I hope you've been paying attention. There will be a test next week.