History of Tuvalu
The islands of Tuvalu have an interesting history. Tuvalu was thought to be settled by Polynesians about 2000 years ago, but it was not until the 1820s that European traders arrived. Missionaries brought Christianity to the islands in the 1860s. In 1877, the islands (then known as the Ellice Islands) came under British jurisdiction and in 1892, became part of the British Protectorate of the Gilbert (Kiribati) and Ellice Islands. Tuvalu became a colony in 1916 and was legally separated from Kiribati in 1975, becoming an independent constitutional monarchy on 1 October, 1978. It is a member of the Commonwealth.