①After flying about 7,000 kilometers southeast from Japan, you will see from the plane a tiny island nation on the beautiful blue ocean.
②It is called Tuvalu.
③The country lines in the middle of the Pacific just below the equator, about 1,000 kilometers north of Fiji.
④It has nine small islands and has a land area of only 26 square kilometers with its highest point just five meters above sea level.
⑤Tuvalu has a population of around 11,000 people, most of whom live in the capital city, Funafuti.
⑥The Tuvaluans lead a cooperative life, living in harmony with their surroundings and enjoying the benefits of nature.
⑦To make a living, they catch fish in the coastal waters and grow coconuts, bananas, and pulaka in their fields.
⑧Such a peaceful way of life has lasted for more than two thousand years, but now it is in danger of disappearing.
⑨For some reason, all the islands are now sinking slowly but steadily into the ocean.
⑩They are vanishing from the face of the earth.
最終更新：2013年04月29日 21:01
