2010 Edition

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.

Area

land

26 sq km

total

26 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

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

Coastline

24 km

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 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, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Geography - note

one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the nine 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

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

0%

other

33.33% (2005)

permanent crops

66.67%

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

Natural hazards

severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

Natural resources

fish

Terrain

low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Age structure

0-14 years: 29.2% (male 1,841/female 1,770) 15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,973/female 4,141) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 240/female 408) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

23.01 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

9.36 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

32.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

38.66 deaths/1,000 live births

total

35.52 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

66.51 years (2010 est.)

male

62.36 years

total population

64.39 years

Literacy

NA

Median age

female

26 years (2010 est.)

male

22.4 years

total

23.9 years

Nationality

adjective

Tuvaluan

noun

Tuvaluan(s)

Net migration rate

-7.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Population

10,472 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

0.659% (2010 est.)

Religions

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

11 years (2001)

male

11 years

total

11 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.051 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population

0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.14 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

49% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

none

Capital

geographic coordinates

8 30 S, 179 12 E

name

Funafuti

time difference

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet

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

local long form

none

local short form

Tuvalu

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, NY 10017,

telephone

[1] (212) 490-0534, fax: [1] (212) 937-0692

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Iakoba TAEIA Italeli (since May 2010)

election results

Willie TELAVI elected prime minister in a parliamentary election on 24 December 2010 following a no-confidence vote on 21 December 2010 that ousted Maatia TOAFA

elections

the monarchy 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 following parliamentary elections

head of government

Prime Minister Willie TELAVI (since 24 December 2010)

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 on a blue field symbolizing the nine atolls in the ocean

Government type

parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Independence

1 October 1978 (from the UK)

International organization participation

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, IDA, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

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)

Legal system

English common law supplemented by local customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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; 10 members reelected

elections

last held on 16 September 2010 (next to be held in 2014)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Afaese MANOA note: adopted 1978; the anthem's name is also the nation's motto

name

"Tuvalu mo te Atua" (Tuvalu for the Almighty)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

coconuts; fish

Current account balance

-$11.68 million (2003)

Debt - external

$NA

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 and is almost entirely dependent upon imported food and fuel. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Job opportunities are scarce and public sector workers make up most of those employed. About 15% of the adult male population work as seamen on merchant ships abroad, and remittances are a vital source of income contributing around $2 million in 2007. Substantial income is received annually from the Tuvalu Trust Fund (TTF) 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 grew from an initial $17 million to an estimated value of $77 million in 2006. The TTF contributed nearly $9 million towards the government budget in 2006 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. The US Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to ensure financial stability and sustainability, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts. Tuvalu also derives royalties from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name with revenue of more than $2 million in 2006. A minor source of government revenue comes from the sale of stamps and coins. 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. Growing income disparities and the vulnerability of the country to climatic change are among leading concerns for the nation.

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.1151 (2009), 1.2059 (2008), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006)

Exports

$1 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

copra, fish

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

16.6%

industry

27.2%

services

56.2% (2002)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,600 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$14.94 million (2002)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$14.94 million (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$12.91 million (2005)

Imports - commodities

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

fishing, tourism, copra

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.8% (2006 est.)

Labor force

3,615 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

note: 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)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Broadcast media

no television broadcast stations; many households use satellite dishes to watch foreign TV stations; 1 government-owned radio station, Radio Tuvalu, includes relays of programming from international broadcasters (2009)

Internet country code

.tv

Internet hosts

109,478 (2010)

Internet users

4,200 (2008)

Telephone system

domestic

radiotelephone communications between islands

general assessment

serves particular needs for internal communications

international

country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite

Telephones - main lines in use

1,700 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2,000 (2009)

Airports

1 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 7, cargo 20, chemical tanker 16, container 3, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 1, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned

49 (Thailand 1, Vietnam 6, Turkey 1, Switzerland 1, South Korea 1, Singapore 25, Maldives 1, Malaysia 1, Kenya 1, Hong Kong 1, China 9, Ukraine 1) (2010)

total

66

Ports and terminals

Funafuti

Roadways

paved

8 km (2002)

total

8 km

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,981 females age 16-49: 2,005 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

110 (2010 est.)

male

120

Military branches

no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force (2009)

Military expenditures

NA

Disputes - international

none page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================