 Blue coral (Heliopora coerulea) | |
 Aerial image of Funafuti atoll | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 5°41′S 176°12′E / 5.683°S 176.200°E to 10°45′S 179°51′E / 10.750°S 179.850°E |
| Total islands | 9 |
| Major islands | Funafuti, Nanumanga, Nanumea, Niulakita, Niutao, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae and Vaitupu |
| Area | 710 km2 (270 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
The coral reefs of Tuvalu consist of three reef islands and six atolls,[1] containing approximately 710 km2 (270 sq mi) of reef platforms.[2] The islands of the Tuvalu archipelago are spread out between the latitude of 5° to 10° south and longitude of 176° to 180°, west of the International Date Line.[1] The islands of Tuvalu are volcanic in origin. On the atolls, an annular reef rim surrounds the lagoon, and may include natural reef channels.[3] The reef islands have a different structure to the atolls, and are described as reef platforms as they are smaller tabular reef platforms that do not have a salt-water lagoon,[4] although they may have a completely closed rim of dry land, with the remnants of a lagoon that has no direct connection to the open sea or that may be drying up.[5]
- ^ a b "Maps of Tuvalu". Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ Morris, C., & Mackay, K. (2008). Status of coral reefs in the Southwest Pacific: Fiji, Nauru, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu (Report). Status of coral reefs of the world (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science). pp. 177–188.
{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ McNeil, F. S. (1954). "Organic reefs and banks and associated detrital sediments". American Journal of Science. 252 (7): 385–401. Bibcode:1954AmJS..252..385M. doi:10.2475/ajs.252.7.385.
on p. 396 McNeil defines atoll as an annular reef enclosing a lagoon in which there are no promontories other than reefs and composed of reef detritus
- ^ Paul S. Kench, Murray R. Ford & Susan D. Owen (9 February 2018). "Patterns of island change and persistence offer alternate adaptation pathways for atoll nations". Nature Communications. 9 (1): 605. Bibcode:2018NatCo...9..605K. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-02954-1. PMC 5807422. PMID 29426825.
- ^ Hedley, Charles (1896). "General account of the Atoll of Funafuti" (PDF). Australian Museum Memoir. 3 (2): 1–72. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1967.3.1896.487.