Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau and National Museum area (Vaiaku)

The Vaiaku settlement on Fongafale islet is the administrative heart of Funafuti and of Tuvalu as a whole, clustered around the airstrip and lagoon shore. Here stand the government offices, the maneapa community meeting hall, and small institutions documenting the nation's history and its famous postage-stamp trade. The area is where visitors encounter Tuvalu's public life at its most concentrated, with island life spilling onto the airstrip when no flights are due.