Nanumaga is located in northern Tuvalu, about 390 kilometres northwest of Funafuti. It is an island of volcanic origin, not a true atoll.

The ellipse-shaped island is about 2.78 sq. kilometres in area. From north to south the distance is about 3 kilometres, while it's greatest width is 1.5 kilometres.

There is a salt water pond in the north centre of the island, consisting of mangrove and some dry land. There is some variance to the depth with the tides, indicating underground passages to the ocean. The pond is called Vaiatoa. A causeway of crushed stone crosses the southern mangrove area, linking the village areas of Toga and Matematefaga. There are two other much smaller ponds in the south, Loto'aiga and Haapai.

In 1986 scuba divers investigated a local legend of a "large house under the sea". They found an underwater cave more than 40 metres down the wall of the coral cliff in the north of Nanumaga. Inside the cave there was evidence of ancient human occupation more than 8,000 years ago.

The main village area of Nanumaga is on the west side of the island and consists of three main districts; Toga (formerly spelled Tonga, Tokelau and Lemuli. The residential houses surround the village social area which consists of the church, the Faihouloto Ahiga (meeting place), the island council office, and the school.

582 people live on Nanumaga, according to the census of 2002. They speak a dialect of Tuvaluan, often called northern Tuvaluan, similar to that of nearby Nanumea and Niutao.

Links:

• Map of Nanumaga
• The Caves of Nanumaga
• Legends of Nanumaga