Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Tuvalu
Ethnicity
Nearly everyone in Tuvalu is an ethnic Polynesian, more specifically a Tuvaluan. The Polynesians, who are a group of people that are related to the Melanesians and Austronesians among others, occupy much of the South Pacific. Tuvaluans are closely related to other Polynesians, including the Samoans, Tongans, and are more distantly related to others, such as the Maori of New Zealand and the Hawai'ians in the United States.
Language
Tuvaluan and English are official languages in Tuvalu, but Samoan and Gilbertese (or i-Kiribati) are also spoken on some islands. Few people natively speak English as this European language is essentially just a language of communication and is important in some industries such as the government and tourism.