How many reef islands are part of Tuvalu?

Tuvalu has three reef islands: Nanumanga, Niutao, and Niulakita.

The other six islands in Tuvalu’s nine-island classification are true atolls: Funafuti, Nanumea, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, and Vaitupu. An atoll generally has a ring-shaped reef surrounding a lagoon, while Tuvalu’s reef islands are raised, enclosed reef platforms without a typical open lagoon.

This distinction is easy to miss because everyday descriptions often call all nine landforms “islands,” and the atolls themselves contain many smaller islets. Tuvalu therefore has nine principal islands but 124 islands and islets in total when the smaller pieces of land are counted.

Tuvalu’s islands are exceptionally low-lying. Niulakita reaches about 4.6 metres above sea level, while Funafuti is the country’s largest atoll and contains numerous islets around a broad lagoon.