Taipei- The prime minister of the Pacific island of Tuvalu on Tuesday urged world leaders to fight global warming to save his nation from disappearing under the sea.

Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia, who is on an official visit to Taiwan, made the call while visiting a Taipei primary school and telling the school children the importance of protecting the environment.

Ielemia said that when he was small, he used to play on the beach which was large and beautiful. But the beach is becoming smaller as the sea level keeps rising. Tuvalu children now have little chance of playing on the beach, he said.

He said he wanted to draw attention to the problem of global warming and the consequent rise in sea levels.

Ielemia called on all countries to unite in fighting global warming by cutting carbon dioxide emissions.

Ielemia's visit to the Pingteng Primary School was arranged by the Commonwealth Magazine which recently published a book on the problem of rising sea levels faced by Tuvalu.

Situated in the South Pacific, Tuvalu, with some 12,000 people, is the world's third-smallest nation in terms of population after the Vatican and Nauru.

Being only 4.5 metres above sea level, Tuvalu is one of the first countries to experience the effects of sea level rise caused by climate change. (dpa)