The Parliament of Tuvalu (called Fale i Fono in Tuvaluan, or Palamene o Tuvalu) is the unicameral national legislature of Tuvalu. The place at which the parliament sits is called the Vaiaku maneapa. The maneapa on each island is an open meeting place where the chiefs and elders deliberate and make decisions. History In 1886, an Anglo-German agreement partitioned the “unclaimed” central Pacific, leaving Nauru in the German sphere of influence, while Ocean Island and the future Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony (GEIC) wound up in the British sphere of influence. The Ellice Islands came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century, when they were declared a British protectorate by Captain Gibson R.N. of HMS Curacoa, between 9 and 16 October 1892 and joined with the Gilbert Islands. The Ellice Islands were administered as a British protectorate by a Resident Commissioner from 1892 to 1916 as part of the British Western Pacific Territories (BWPT), and from 1916 to 1974 as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony (GEIC). With the creation in 1970 of a Legislative Council where only 4 members were from Ellice Islands constituencies, the idea of a separation between the two archipelagoes became stronger. In 1974, the Ellicean voted by referendum for separate British dependency status. As a consequence Tuvalu separated from the Gilbert Islands which later became Kiribati. Tuvalu became fully independent within the Commonwealth on 1 October 1978. On 5 September 2000, Tuvalu became the 189th member of the United Nations. The way in which legislation was created changed as Tuvalu evolved from a being a British protectorate to a British colony until it eventually became an independent country: British protectorate of Gilbert and Ellice Islands – legislation was promulgated by High Commissioner of the Western Pacific; British colony of Gilbert and Ellice Islands - legislation was promulgated by the Resident Commissioner (later Governor) of Gilbert and Ellice Islands; British colony of Tuvalu - legislation was promulgated by the Governor of Tuvalu; and Tuvalu – when it became an independent state and a parliamentary democracy – legislation is enacted by the Fale i Fono, Parliament of Tuvalu, and becomes law following signature by the Governor-General of Tuvalu. During the time of the British colony of Tuvalu until independence the parliament of Tuvalu was called the House of the Assembly or Fale i Fono. The parliament was first established when Tuvalu separated