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The Western Pacific nation of Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is situated 4,000 kilometers (2,500 mi) northeast of Australia and is approximately halfway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna and north of Fiji. It is a very small island country of 26 km2 (10 sq mi). Due to the spread out islands it has the 38th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 749,790 km2 (289,500 sq mi).
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Tonga, by a modification of its treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom in July 1970, is responsible for its own external affairs. It maintains cordial relations with most countries and has close relations with its Pacific neighbours and the United Kingdom. In 1998, it recognized the People's Republic of China and broke relations with Taiwan.
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Opha Pauline Dube or Pauline Dube is a Botswanan environmental scientist and Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Botswana. She co-authored the IPCC's Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C. She is one of fifteen scientists creating the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report for the United Nations.
Tropical Cyclone Sarai was a moderately strong tropical cyclone that impacted several island nations and countries in late-December 2019. The third tropical cyclone and the second named storm of the 2019-20 South Pacific cyclone season, Sarai formed from an area of low pressure to the south of Tuvalu. Over the next days, the low pressure became organized and was designated by the Fiji Meteorological Service as Tropical Disturbance 03F on December 23. Under favorable conditions, the disturbance gradually organized, becoming a depression two days later, before strengthening to a tropical cyclone, earning the name Sarai. It moved to the south, before a high-pressure steered the system to the east, passing to the south of Fiji, near Suva before weakening. Sarai passed near the Tongan islands of Haʻapai and Tongatapu as a Category 1 cyclone, before rapidly degrading to a tropical depression due to the system entering unfavorable conditions. It was last noted on January 2 to the southeast of Cook Islands.
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References
- ↑ "Dr Netatua Pelesikoti Taufatofua dies suddenly in Tonga". Matangitonga. 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
- 1 2 3 4 "Netatua Pelesikoti". Pacific Community. 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
- 1 2 3 4 "Dr Netatua Pelesikoti Taufatofua dies suddenly in Tonga". Matangitonga. 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
- 1 2 3 4 Shaw, Carole (2020-11-11). "In Memorium – Dr Netatua Prescott Taufatofua". NGO Womens Rights and Gender Equality Caucus - Australia. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
- ↑ Leewai, Kathleen. "Pacific women in climate change - meet Dr Netatua Pelesikoti, Tonga | Climate Change". www.sprep.org. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
- ↑ "Netatua Pelesikoti". The Pacific Community. 2018-12-01. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018.
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