Nanumanga

On 9 May 1824 a French government expedition under Captain Louis Isidore Duperrey of the ship La Coquille sighted Nanumaga.[4][5]

The US Exploring Expedition visited in 1841.[6]

Louis Becke, who later became a writer, became the resident trader for the Liverpool firm of John S. de Wolf and Co. on Nanumaga from about April 1880 until the trading-station was destroyed later that year in a cyclone.[7][8] Becke later wrote The Rangers of the Tia Kau[9] that describes a shark attack at the Tia Kau reef between Nanumea and Nanumaga.

The population of Nanumaga from 1860–1900 is estimated to be between 300[10] to 335 people.[11]

Nanumaga Post Office opened around 1925.[12]

In 1986 it became a centre of debate when Pacific archaeologists discovered the submerged Caves of Nanumanga, and found what they argued was the remains of fire created by pre-historic inhabitants.

There are three lagoons, the largest, Vaiatoa, having four islands. There are mangrove trees, native broadleaf forest and coconut palms. The island has an oval outline, with the longer axis oriented north-south. A fringing reef surrounds the whole island, which makes local fishing and transport into and out of the island difficult.

In March 2015 Nanumaga suffered damage to houses, crops and infrastructure as the result of storm surges caused by Cyclone Pam; 60-100 houses were flooded and the health facility suffered damage.[13][14]

There are a few paths and unpaved roads. There are no airports, so everything goes in and out by boat.

Nanumanga is one of the eight constituencies in Tuvalu, and elects two Members of Parliament. Following the 2019 general election, Monise Lafai was returned to parliament and Minute Alapati Taupo was elected to parliament.[15]

Nanumanga constituency results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Non-partisan	Monise Lafai	366	36.2
	Non-partisan	Otinielu Tausi	284	28
	Non-partisan	Minute Alapati Taupo	361	35.7

Otinielu Tausi was the deputy prime minister in the government of Kamuta Latasi (December 1993 to December 1996); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Natural Resources and also the Home Affairs and Rural Development in the 2nd government of Bikenibeu Paeniu (1996 to 1998). He served as the speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu from 2003 until 2006, then again from March 2014 until he was not re-elected to parliament in the general election held on 9 September 2019.

Tuau Lapua Lapua is a Tuvaluan Olympic weightlifter. At the 2013 Pacific Mini Games, Tuau Lapua Lapua won Tuvalu's first ever gold medal in major sporting competition in the men's 62 kilogram snatch. (He also won bronze in the clean and jerk, and obtained the silver medal overall for the combined event.)