coral atoll, site of Fongafale village, capital of Tuvalu, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. The atoll comprises some 30 islets, with a total land area of 0.9 square mile (2.4 square km), strung around a lagoon (13.5 by 10 miles 【21.7 by 16.1 km】) that affords good anchorage. A U.S. military base was established there in 1943. Despite the low fertility of its sandy soil, the atoll produces copra for export. Fongafale, the chief village, has a hotel, a hospital, and an airstrip. Pop. (1985) 2,810.