Journal of the Korean Geographical Society ISSN:1225-6633(Print) 대한지리학회지

The discipline of Geography is broadly concerned with the interconnections between people and the environment. Particularly, this unique human-environment relationship often can be typically reflected from, and well illustrated by, the dynamics of microstates’ island environment. While Tuvaluans living on vulnerable, low-lying atolls in the Pacific are not primarily responsible for contributing to climate change, yet they are experiencing its dreadful effects. Population pressure, caused by the differences in population size, distribution, and composition, has been constantly affected by resource unavailability and environmental instability on the islands. It also represents one of our challenges in understanding the complex influence of population dynamics on the living environment. What can be learned from Tuvalu in the context of population geography and environmental geography as well as its relationship with other Pacific island microstates? What are Tuvaluans’ migration responses to their atolls’ environmental crisis as well as the carrying capacity scenarios related to overpopulation? What are the current living experiences and settlement situations of Tuvaluan internal and external migrants both at home and abroad? This research examines the contemporary migration literature in the context of Tuvalu’s population geography, while analyzing Tuvaluan migration patterns, discourses and perspectives in relation to environmental change.