This pretty little country is so small that it only has five miles of actual roads

A pretty little country in the Commonwealth is so small that it only has five miles of road, the least in the world.

Tuvalu is an island country in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. It is halfway between Australia and Hawaii.

It is made up of three reef islands and six attols with a land area of 10 square miles. It is the second least populated country in the world, behind Vatican City.

Due to its small size, Tuvalu has only five miles of road, the least of any country in the world. The next smallest road network belongs to the Cocos Islands, which has 14 miles.

The island nation was described by Lonely Planet as “dazzling”, “ringed with coral and studded with tiny, palm-topped islets”. Timeless Tuvalu called it an “unspoilt corner of the Pacific”.

The most popular way to tour the islands is by motorbike, which are readily available for rent across the islands.

 Visitors can explore towns and villages and see traditional fatele dancing, women’s handicrafts like fans and baskets, mangrove nurseries, and more. 

It is also home to incredible wildlife, with a marine conservation area including many species of fish, endangered turtle nesting sites and coral. This can be explored through scuba diving and snorkelling.

Temperatures in Tuvalu range between 26C to 32C year-round, with the water temperature sitting on a comfortable year-round 29C. The rainy season lasts from February to May and September to November.

It is a low-lying island and so is extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change. It is active in climate negotiations as part of the Alliance of Small Island States with other members including the Maldives, the Seychelles and 36 others.

Flights to Tuvalu are available from multiple UK airports, with at least two stops required over the more than 30-hour journey. There are a handful of hotels on the islands as well as some private holiday lets.