Formerly called the Ellice Islands, Tuvalu is a Polynesian island nation situated in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Australia and Hawaii; its closest neighbours are Samoa and Fiji. The nation is made up of four reef islands and five true atolls, coral islands completely encircling a lagoon. It is just 26 sq km and is the fourth smallest country in the world, larger only than the Vatican City, Monaco, and Nauru. - See more at: http://www.oceanislandtravel.com/home.asp?id=76#sthash.58Iqq2yr.dpuf