The name of the Polynesian country Tuvalu comes from the local language Tulavuan meaning “eight standing together”, which represents the eight inhabitated islands. Tuvalu was formerly known as Ellice Islands, named after a British politican and merchant Edward Ellice Sr. It was in 1819, when he sighted the islands aboard a cargo ship ‘Rebecca’. There are approximately 10,000 people who live in Tuvalu.
