2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

none

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.9% (male 1,838; female 1,772) 15-64 years: 63% (male 3,432; female 3,687) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 231; female 345) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

coconuts; fish

Area

land

26 sq km

total

26 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

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. Geography Tuvalu

Birth rate

21.58 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)

revenues

$22.5 million

Capital

Funafuti

Climate

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Coastline

24 km

Constitution

1 October 1978

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Tuvalu

former

Ellice Islands

note

"Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands

Currency

Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar

Currency code

AUD

Death rate

7.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$NA

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

Diplomatic representation in the US

Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, New York 10017,

telephone

[1] (212) 490-0534

Economic aid - recipient

$13 million ; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.)

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. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. 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, 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%. In 1998, Tuvalu began deriving revenue from use of its area code for "900" lines and in 2000, from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new technology sources could increase substantially over the next decade. 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 investment income from overseas assets.

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

NA%

hydro

NA%

nuclear

NA%

other

NA%

Elevation extremes

highest point

unnamed location 5 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

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; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary

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

Ethnic groups

Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.8406 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Faimalaga LUKA (since 9 September 2003)

election results

Saufatu SOPOANGA elected prime minister; Parliamentary vote - Saufatu SOPOANGA 8, Amasone KILEI 7

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 2 August 2002 (next to be held NA)

head of government

Prime Minister Saufatu SOPOANGA (since 2 August 2002)

Exports

$276,000 f.o.b. (1997)

Exports - commodities

copra, fish

Exports - partners

UK 58.3%, Italy 16.7%, Denmark 8.3%, Fiji 8.3% (2002)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications 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 Tuvalu

GDP

purchasing power parity - $12.2 million (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (2000 est.)

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Geography - note

one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; 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 Tuvalu

Government type

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began debating republic status in 1992

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$7.2 million c.i.f. (1998)

Imports - commodities

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Imports - partners

Hungary 68.2%, Japan 12.9%, Fiji 11.9% (2002)

Independence

1 October 1978 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

fishing, tourism, copra

Infant mortality rate

female

18.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

24.35 deaths/1,000 live births

total

21.34 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5% (2000 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IFRCS (associate), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)

Irrigated land

NA sq km

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)

Labor force

7,000 (2001 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 abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

0%

other

100% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

0%

Languages

Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

Legal system

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15

elections

last held 25 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)

Life expectancy at birth

female

69.59 years (2003 est.)

male

65.15 years

total population

67.32 years

Literacy

definition

NA%

female

NA% Government Tuvalu

male

NA%

total population

NA%

Location

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 NM

exclusive economic zone

200 NM

territorial sea

12 NM

Median age

female

25.8 years (2002)

male

22.9 years

total

24.2 years

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Nationality

adjective

Tuvaluan

noun

Tuvaluan(s)

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

Natural resources

fish

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

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

Population

11,305 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

1.42% (2003 est.)

Religions

Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

general assessment

serves particular needs for internal

Telephones - main lines in use

1,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (1994)

Terrain

very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Total fertility rate

3.05 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Airports

1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) Military Tuvalu

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Highways

paved

0 km

total

8 km

unpaved

8 km (1999 est.)

Internet country code

.tv

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

NA Transportation Tuvalu

Merchant marine

convenience

Germany 5 (2002 est.)

note

includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of

ships by type

cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1

total

4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 33,199 GRT/56,187 DWT

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% Transnational Issues Tuvalu

Ports and harbors

Funafuti, Nukufetau

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1999)

Radios

4,000 (1997)

Railways

0 km

Television broadcast stations

0 (1997)

Televisions

800

Waterways

none