Tuvalu (formerly known as the Ellice Islands) has a population of 11,992 which makes it the third-least-populated sovereign state in the world (only Vatican City and Nauru have fewer inhabitants) and in terms of physical land size, at just 26 square kilometres, it is the fourth smallest country in the world (larger only than the Vatican City at 0.44 km2, Monaco at 1.95 km2 and Nauru at 21 km2). As member of the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS), it stands to benefit most from the financing by rich countries as proposed at Copenhagen.
Its chief negotiator at Copenhagen, Ian Fry, who last time I looked was an Australian and living in Queanbeyan on the outskirts of Canberra, stalled the Copenhagen debate for two days as he called for legally binding pacts to turn on the money tap. "I woke up this morning crying, and that's not easy for a grown man to admit," Fry said, choking as he spoke in the plenary crowded with hundreds of delegates. "The fate of my country rests in your hands."
Tuvalu hasn't got too much going for it. Last time its name appeared in the press was in 1998 when it had sold its internet domain name .tv for $50 million [Source].
