| Background: |
In 1974, ethnic
differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and
Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands
to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert
Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the
separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted
in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its
Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in
royalties over the next dozen years. |
| Location: |
Oceania, island
group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific
Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
8 00 S, 178 00 E |
| Area: |
total:
26 sq km
land: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
0.1 times the
size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical;
moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November);
westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) |
| Terrain: |
very low-lying
and narrow coral atolls |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
severe tropical
storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three
cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to
changes in sea level |
| Environment
- current issues: |
since there are
no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most
water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage
facilities (the Japanese Government has built one
desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead
erosion because of the use of sand for building materials;
excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel;
damage to coral reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns
starfish; Tuvalu is very concerned about global increases in
greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea
levels, which threaten the country's underground water table |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of
the Sea |
| Population: |
10,991 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
33.28% (male 1,862; female 1,796)
15-64 years: 61.6% (male 3,241; female 3,529)
65 years and over: 5.12% (male 236; female 327)
(2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.4% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
21.56
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.55 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
22.65
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 66.65 years
male: 64.52 years
female: 68.88 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.09 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Polynesian 96% |
| Religions: |
Church of Tuvalu
(Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i
1%, other 0.6% |
| Languages: |
Tuvaluan, English |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands |
| Government
type: |
constitutional
monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began debating
republic status in 1992 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none |
| Independence: |
1 October 1978
(from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
1 October (1978) |
| Constitution: |
1 October 1978 |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Tomasi PUAPUA (since 26
June 1998)
head of government: Acting Prime Minister
Lagitupu (of Nanumea) TUILIMU (since 8 December 2000); note
- TUILIMU took over after Prime Minister Ionatana IONATANA
died suddenly of a heart attack on 8 December 2000
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor
general on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor
general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of
the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister
elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last
held 27 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: results of the last election
for prime minister - Ionatana IONATANA elected prime
minister; percent of Parliament vote - NA%; Lagitupu (of
Nanumea) TUILIMU elected deputy prime minister; percent of
Parliament vote - NA%; note - Deputy Prime Minister Lagitupu
(of Nanumea) TUILIMU became acting prime minister following
the death of Prime Minister Ionatana IONATANA on 8 December
2000 |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (12
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held 26-27 March 1998 (next to
be held by NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats
- independents 12 |
| Judicial
branch: |
High Court (a
chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its
sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal
in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
there are no
political parties but members of Parliament usually align
themselves in informal groupings |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
none |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, AsDB, C,
ESCAP, IFRCS (associate), Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU,
Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO
(applicant) |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
Tuvalu does not
have an embassy in the US |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
the US does not
have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is
accredited to Tuvalu |
| Flag
description: |
light blue with
the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the
outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with
nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands |
| Economy
- overview: |
Tuvalu consists
of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls
with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources
and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the
primary economic activities. Government revenues largely
come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker
remittances. About 1,000 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the
phosphate mining industry. Nauru has begun repatriating
Tuvaluans, however, as phosphate resources decline.
Substantial income is received annually from an
international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia,
NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea.
Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals,
this Fund has grown from an initial $17 million to over $35
million in 1999. The US government is also a major revenue
source for Tuvalu, with 1999 payments from a 1988 treaty on
fisheries at about $9 million, a total which is expected to
rise annually. In an effort to reduce its dependence on
foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector
reforms, including privatization of some government
functions and personnel cuts of up to 7%. In 1998, Tuvalu
began deriving revenue from use of its area code for
"900" lines and in 2000, from the sale of its
".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these
new technology sources could raise GDP three or more times
over the next decade. In 1999, with merchandise exports
falling and financing reaching less than 5% of imports,
continued reliance was placed on fishing and
telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas
workers, official transfers, and investment income from
overseas assets to cover the trade deficit. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $11.6 million (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3% (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $1,100 (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
7% (1999 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
people make a
living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and
atolls and from wages sent home by those working abroad
(mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$6.2 million
expenditures: $6.1 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) |
| Industries: |
fishing, tourism,
copra |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA% |
| Agriculture
- products: |
coconuts; fish |
| Exports: |
$165,000 (f.o.b.,
1989) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
copra |
| Exports
- partners: |
Fiji, Australia,
NZ |
| Imports: |
$4.4 million
(c.i.f., 1989) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food, animals,
mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
Fiji, Australia,
NZ |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$13 million (1999
est.); note - major donors are Japan and Australia |
| Currency: |
Australian dollar
(AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar |
| Exchange
rates: |
Tuvaluan dollars
or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001),
1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997),
1.2773 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
1,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
0 (1994) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: serves particular needs for internal
communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between
islands
international: NA |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 0,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
0 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.tv |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
8 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 8 km (1996) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Funafuti,
Nukufetau |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,135 GRT/68,300 DWT
ships by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 1,
petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
no regular
military forces; Police Force includes Maritime Surveillance
Unit for search and rescue missions and surveillance
operations |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
