from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Tuvalu
Introduction
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 a 12-year period.
Geography
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 8 00 S, 178 00 E
coordinates:
Map Oceania
references:
Area: total: 26 sq km
land: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 24 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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 lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Natural fish
resources:
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 66.67%
other: 33.33% (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997,
hazards: there were three cyclones; low level of islands make
them sensitive to changes in sea level
Environment - since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is
current not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment
issues: 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 concerned about global increases in
greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea
levels, which threaten the country's underground water
table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia
and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea
levels should make evacuation necessary
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea,
agreements: Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth;
note: six of the coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu,
Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open
to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked
lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon
People
Population: 11,810 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,819/female 1,752)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 3,715/female 3,923)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 228/female 373) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 24.6 years
male: 23.6 years
female: 26 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.51% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 22.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 7.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 19.47 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 22.27 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 16.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 68.32 years
expectancy at male: 66.08 years
birth: female: 70.66 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.98 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan
Ethnic groups: Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%
Religions: Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Languages: Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of
Nui)
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu
local long form: none
local short form: Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands
note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the
country's eight traditionally inhabited islands
Government constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Funafuti
geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)
note: administrative offices are located in Vaiaku
Village on Fongafale Islet
Administrative none
divisions:
Independence: 1 October 1978 (from UK)
National Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
holiday:
Constitution: 1 October 1978
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
branch: 1952), represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO
(since 15 April 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA
(since 14 August 2006)
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 14 August 2006 (next to be held
following parliamentary elections in 2010)
election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected Prime Minister
in a Parliamentary election on 14 August 2006
Legislative unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House
branch: of Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in
2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats -
independents 15
Judicial High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to
branch: preside over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed
to the Court of Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts
(with limited jurisdiction)
Political there are no political parties but members of
parties and Parliament usually align themselves in informal
leaders: groupings
Political none
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW,
organization PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
participation:
Diplomatic Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the
representation country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu
in the US: does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd
Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017, telephone: [1]
(212) 490-0534
Diplomatic the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US
representation ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu
from the US:
Flag light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper
description: 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
Economy - Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group
overview: 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. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average,
visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come
from the sale of stamps and coins and remittances from
seamen on merchant ships abroad. About 1,000 Tuvaluans
are being repatriated from Nauru, with the decline of
phosphate resources there. 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 because of payments from a 1988
treaty on fisheries. 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%.
Tuvalu derives around $1.5 million per year from the
lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. With
merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise
imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing
and telecommunications license fees, remittances from
overseas workers, official transfers, and income from
overseas investments.
GDP $14.94 million (2002 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $14.94 million
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 1.2% (2002 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $1,600 (2002 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 16.6% NA%
composition by industry: 27.2% NA%
sector: services: 56.2% NA%
Labor force: 3,615 (2004 est.)
Labor force - note: people make a living mainly through exploitation
by occupation: of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home
by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate
industry and sailors)
Unemployment NA%
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 3.7% (2003 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $22.78 million
expenditures: $14.23 million; including capital
expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)
Agriculture - coconuts; fish
products:
Industries: fishing, tourism, copra
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - fossil fuel: NA
production by hydro: NA
source: nuclear: NA
other: NA
Current $2.323 million
account
balance:
Exports: $1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - copra, fish
commodities:
Exports - Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $9.186 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured
commodities: goods
Imports - Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%,
partners: NZ 4.1% (2005)
Debt - $NA
external:
Economic aid - $13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan,
recipient: and the US (1999 est.)
Currency Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a
(code): Tuvaluan dollar
Currency code: AUD
Exchange Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar -
rates: 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406
(2002), 1.9334 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 700 (2002)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 0 (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: serves particular needs for
system: internal communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: country code - 688; international calls
can be made by satellite
Radio AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 4,000 (1997)
Television 0 (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 800
Internet .tv
country code:
Internet 1 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 1,300 (2002)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 8 km
paved: 8 km (2002)
Merchant total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 196,790 GRT/256,436
marine: DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 37, chemical tanker 1,
container 2, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 4, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 43 (China 23, Hong Kong 8, Kenya 1,
Russia 2, Singapore 6, Thailand 1, Turkey 2) (2006)
Ports and Funafuti
terminals:
Military
Military no regular military forces; Police Force
branches:
Military NA
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military NA
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: