Edition 2005 — Tuvalu — World Factbook

Administrative divisions

none

Age structure

0-14 years: 30.8% (male 1,823/female 1,756) 15-64 years: 64.2% (male 3,620/female 3,847) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 229/female 361) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

coconuts; fish

Airports

1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) Military Tuvalu

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

21.91 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)
revenues: $22.5 million

Capital

Funafuti; note - administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet

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 (code)

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

Currency code

AUD

Death rate

7.22 deaths/1,000 population (2005 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

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

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 income from overseas investments.

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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000)

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 Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005)
election results: Saufatu SOPOANGA resigned parliamentary seat on 27 August 2004 following no-confidence vote on 25 August 2004; succeeded by Deputy Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA in an acting capacity on 27 August 2004; Maatia TOAFA confirmed Prime Minister in a Parliamentary election (8-7 vote) on 11 October 2004
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 11 October 2004 (next to be held following parliamentary elections in 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA (since 11 October 2004)

Exports

$1 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities

copra, fish

Exports - partners

Germany 56.5%, Fiji 14.3%, Italy 10.9%, UK 7.7%, Poland 4.9% (2004)

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 - 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.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$12.2 million (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

Highways

paved: 0 km
total: 8 km
unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.)

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

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$79 million c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Imports - partners

Fiji 50.2%, Japan 18.1%, Australia 9.6%, China 8%, New Zealand 5.5% (2004)

Independence

1 October 1978 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

fishing, tourism, copra

Infant mortality rate

female: 17.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
male: 22.9 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 20.03 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5% (2000 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Internet country code

.tv

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

1,300 (2002) Transportation Tuvalu

Irrigated land

NA

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% (2001)
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: 70.33 years (2005 est.)
male: 65.79 years
total population: 68.01 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: 25.85 years (2005 est.)
male: 23.36 years
total: 24.45 years

Merchant marine

by type: cargo 20, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 16 (China 9, Germany 2, Hong Kong 4, Thailand 1) (2005)
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 54,993 GRT/86,048 DWT

Military branches

no regular military forces; national police force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA Transnational Issues Tuvalu

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 (2005 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