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Quiz about Who Loves Tuvalu
Quiz about Who Loves Tuvalu

Who Loves Tuvalu? Trivia Quiz


The South Pacific nation of Tuvalu is one of the world's smallest, both in terms of area and population. It is little-known and little-visited but hopefully not little-loved by FunTrivia's quizzers.

A multiple-choice quiz by glendathecat. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
glendathecat
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
324,017
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
5014
Awards
Editor's Choice
Last 3 plays: Guest 49 (4/10), pwefc (9/10), mariappank511 (1/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The islands that form Tuvalu are found in the South Pacific. They were formerly known as the Ellice Islands, part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Where does the "Ellice" derive from? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Tuvalu's present name reflects the number of islands within the group that have, traditionally, been inhabited. Which of the following comes closest to its meaning? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Tuvalu was under the protection of which European colonial power from 1892 until its independence in 1978? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Tuvalu's main atoll is Funafuti. As might be expected, there are various stories as to how it came to be settled. Most, however, centre around an ancestor named Telematua who arrived by canoe from one of Tuvalu's closest neighbours. Which of these islands is he said to have come from? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Tuvalu threw itself behind the 350.org campaign, started by American, Bill McKibben. This is not surprising because 350.org's activities centre around which of the following, that is seen as a major threat to Tuvalu's existence? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In 1916, the Funafuti Provisionals achieved notoriety around the world, but what are they? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Tuvalu's motto is "Tuvalu mo te Atua" which communicates something of its religious beliefs, but how does this phrase translate into English? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which of the following is a major source of income for the people of Tuvalu? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Despite having a very small population, Tuvalu managed to field a soccer team that took part in the qualifying competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. What was unusual about their involvement? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. With the introduction of the Internet, Tuvalu has generated considerable revenue from its domain suffix. This is which of the following? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 49: 4/10
Mar 05 2024 : pwefc: 9/10
Feb 03 2024 : mariappank511: 1/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The islands that form Tuvalu are found in the South Pacific. They were formerly known as the Ellice Islands, part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Where does the "Ellice" derive from?

Answer: They are named after the English politician, Edward Ellice

Edward Ellice was a member of the British parliament for 41 years and a director of the Hudson's Bay Company.

The first recorded sighting of Tuvalu, by a European, came in 1568 when the Spaniard, Álvaro de Mendaña y Neyra, saw the island of Nui. The islands were "rediscovered" in 1819, when Arent de Peyster came upon the atoll of Funafuti. De Peyster, a close friend of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, gave it the name, "Ellice's Group", as his ship had been provided by Ellice. He went on to chronicle other islands now part of Tuvalu which were named "De Peyster's Islands" but, unfortunately for him, the first name stuck.
2. Tuvalu's present name reflects the number of islands within the group that have, traditionally, been inhabited. Which of the following comes closest to its meaning?

Answer: Eight together

There are actually nine islands/atolls that make up the Tuvalu group. One of these, Niulakita was unoccupied prior to 1949, when it was settled to prevent over-population on the island of Niutao. Unlike the other islands in Tuvalu, Niulakita was formed by volcanic activity as part of the Samoan hotspot.
3. Tuvalu was under the protection of which European colonial power from 1892 until its independence in 1978?

Answer: The United Kingdom

In 1886, the United Kingdom and Germany signed an agreement dividing the "unclaimed" islands of the South Pacific between themselves. Nevertheless, the UK was reluctant to take on full responsibility for the then Ellice Islands and only did so six years later.

Between 1892 and 1916, they formed the Ellice Islands protectorate. From 1916 until 1974, they became the colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands and, after 1974, the two island groups were once again separated, with the Gilbert Islands becoming Kiribati. Tuvalu continued as a British dependency until independence came in 1978.
4. Tuvalu's main atoll is Funafuti. As might be expected, there are various stories as to how it came to be settled. Most, however, centre around an ancestor named Telematua who arrived by canoe from one of Tuvalu's closest neighbours. Which of these islands is he said to have come from?

Answer: Samoa

Telematua is said to have had two wives, Futi, which means "banana" and Tupu, which means "abundant". From these names derive the names of Funafuti and its neighbour, Vaitupu. Telematua is said to have divided his time between the two wives and the two atolls. Tuvalu has a population of approximately 11,000 people, of which one half lives on Funafuti and another sixth on Vaitupu.

Modern studies back up the claims that the islanders probably originated from Samoa. They are Polynesian in culture rather than Micronesian and this led to the decision to detach themselves from Kiribati upon independence.
5. Tuvalu threw itself behind the 350.org campaign, started by American, Bill McKibben. This is not surprising because 350.org's activities centre around which of the following, that is seen as a major threat to Tuvalu's existence?

Answer: Global warming

Tuvalu is particularly vulnerable to any rises in sea level as its highest point is a mere 15 feet above sea level. Experts predict that, if present trends continue, the islands will become unsustainable within the next 50 years.

"350" relates to carbon dioxide levels within the atmosphere and the "safe" levels, recommended by some scientists, expressed as 350 parts per million.

Sea levels around Tuvalu have, in fact, been rising for the last few thousand years. In 1986, scuba divers discovered an underwater cave on the Tuvaluan island of Nanumanga which showed evidence of human activity and had, at one time, had fires lit within it. Remarkably, this cave is more than 130 feet below present sea levels and has forced experts to reconsider the point at which the islands were first populated.
6. In 1916, the Funafuti Provisionals achieved notoriety around the world, but what are they?

Answer: Stamps

The "scandal" of the Funafuti Provisionals occurred in July 1916. The young, inexperienced postmaster at Funafuti had run out of higher value stamps and, ignorant of the correct procedure to follow, was persuaded to personally surcharge lower value stamps by the islands' senior Medical Officer, Dr. McNaughton.

This was done by a mixture of rubber stamp and handwriting. McNaughton, a keen collector of stamps, was only too aware that this action created an extremely limited quantity of such stamps that immediately become very rare and, therefore, highly collectible.

He also made the news available to the international philatelic community, having several of the stamps in his own possession. There was, not surprisingly, a universal outcry and debate ever since as to whether these stamps should or shouldn't be counted as an official issue.
7. Tuvalu's motto is "Tuvalu mo te Atua" which communicates something of its religious beliefs, but how does this phrase translate into English?

Answer: Tuvalu for the Almighty

Virtually all of the population belongs to the Tuvalu Christian Church which is the de facto state church. Its roots go back to 1861 when the islands were evangelised by Elekana, a missionary from the Cook Islands. Sadly, the islanders' very rapid embrace of Christianity inadvertently led to one of the blackest stains on their history.

In the mid-1860s, slave traders from Peru abducted more than 400 people after reputedly tempting them onto their ships with the promise of bible teaching. For the next century, the church came under the auspices of the London Missionary Society before gaining its independence in 1969.
8. Which of the following is a major source of income for the people of Tuvalu?

Answer: Remittances sent from Tuvaluans living overseas

Tuvalu is a small, densely populated country amounting to just 10 square miles in area. The soil is poor and agricultural activity is limited to subsistence farming. It has no mineral deposits and its remoteness serves as a barrier to tourism. Many Tuvaluans work overseas or as sailors and their contribution to the economy was estimated at $2m in 2007. This compares to a GDP of about $15m. (Source: CIA World Fact Book)

The biggest source of Tuvalu's revenue derives from overseas aid, in particular income from an international trust fund established in 1987.
9. Despite having a very small population, Tuvalu managed to field a soccer team that took part in the qualifying competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. What was unusual about their involvement?

Answer: They were not eligible to play in the competition

Tuvalu became an associate member of FIFA in 2006 but only full members are eligible to enter the World Cup. The anomaly arose because Tuvalu entered the South Pacific Games in 2007 which FIFA then chose to use as part of its qualifying process. Any potential embarrassment was avoided when Tuvalu finished bottom of its group after defeats against the Cook Islands (4-1); New Caledonia (1-0); and Fiji (16-0) and a draw with Tahiti (1-1).
10. With the introduction of the Internet, Tuvalu has generated considerable revenue from its domain suffix. This is which of the following?

Answer: .tv

In 2000, Tuvalu leased the rights to the .tv suffix in a deal reported as bringing in $50m over a 12-year period. Given that the country's annual GDP is only about $15m, this represented a huge bonus. Unfortunately, the bursting of the Internet bubble meant that such figures did not materialise but, as of 2010, the rights were still bringing in over $2m per year.

The 2000 deal also enabled Tuvalu to become the 189th member of the United Nations, which it did in September of that year. The country had previously been unable to pay for registration.
Source: Author glendathecat

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ozzz2002 before going online.
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