Fongafale

Fongafale is the largest islet of Funafuti atoll and the site of Tuvalu's capital, a long, narrow ribbon of land barely a few hundred metres wide with the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other. Most of the country's population lives here, and the single airstrip doubles as a communal gathering space, sports ground and social hub between flights. Coconut palms, churches and the maneapa meeting halls line the strip. As one of the most vivid examples of a low-lying atoll under threat from rising seas, Fongafale is central to global.