Q 01/05

Tuvalu belongs to which cultural region of Oceania?

A) Melanesia

B) Australasia

C) Polynesia

D) Micronesia

Answer · why

C) Polynesia

Its people descend from voyagers who spread out from Samoa and Tonga about 3,000 years ago; only the island of Nui has a Micronesian language.

Q 02/05

The name 'Tuvalu' means what in the local language?

A) Eight standing together

B) Islands of the eel

C) Land of the coconut

D) Low blue water

Answer · why

A) Eight standing together

Only eight of the nine islands were inhabited in old times. The 1995-97 flag briefly showed eight stars for that reason before the nine-star design re...

Q 03/05

Before independence Tuvalu was known by what colonial name?

A) The Line Islands

B) The Gilbert Islands

C) The Ellice Islands

D) The Phoenix Islands

Answer · why

C) The Ellice Islands

Funafuti was dubbed Ellice's Island in 1819 after Edward Ellice, the MP who owned the cargo of a passing ship; a hydrographer later applied the name t...

Q 04/05

From 1916 Tuvalu was ruled jointly with which neighbouring island group as a single British colony?

A) The Gilbert Islands

B) Western Samoa

C) Fiji and Rotuma

D) The Solomon Islands

Answer · why

A) The Gilbert Islands

A 1974 referendum split the Polynesian Ellice Islanders from the Micronesian Gilbertese, and two separate colonies were formed on 1 January 1976.

Q 05/05

In which year did Tuvalu become fully independent?

A) 1985

B) 1980

C) 1978

D) 1990

Answer · why

C) 1978

Independence Day is 1 October. Toaripi Lauti became the first prime minister and the country stayed a Commonwealth realm under the British Crown.