Funafuti

Why it's the capital

When Tuvalu was founded as a new nation in 1978, Funafuti was chosen as its administrative capital, even though Cyclone Bebe had badly damaged the atoll in 1972.

Fun facts

1. In 1896, 1897 and 1898 the Royal Society of London drilled boreholes on Funafuti to test Charles Darwin's theory of how coral atolls form.
2. The airfield that American forces built here during the Second World War became Funafuti International Airport, which is also used as a place for sport and other recreation.
3. Much of Funafuti is less than one metre above sea level, and in places the land is only about 20 m wide.