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.
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
Map references
Oceania
Area
total
26 sq km
land
26 sq km
water
0 sq km
Area - comparative
0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
24 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
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 extremes
lowest point
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point
unnamed location 5 m
Natural resources
fish
Land use
arable land
0%
permanent crops
66.67%
other
33.33% (2005)
Irrigated land
NA
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
Environment - current issues
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
Geography - note
one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the 9 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
Population
11,992 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
29.8% (male 1,821/female 1,752)
15-64 years
65.2% (male 3,808/female 4,006)
65 years and over
5% (male 227/female 378) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
24.9 years
male
23.9 years
female
26.2 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
1.543% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
22.43 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.039 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.951 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.601 male(s)/female
total population
0.954 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
18.9 deaths/1,000 live births
male
21.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female
16.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
68.63 years
male
66.38 years
female
70.99 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.96 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
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
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 type
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy
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 divisions
none
Independence
1 October 1978 (from UK)
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
Constitution
1 October 1978
Legal system
NA
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 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 branch
unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House 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)
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, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
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
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. 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 grew 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 (purchasing power parity)
$14.94 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$14.94 million (2002)
GDP - real growth rate
1.2% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$1,600 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
16.6%
industry
27.2%
services
56.2% (2002)
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)
Unemployment rate
NA%
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.9% (2005 est.)
Budget
revenues
$22.78 million
expenditures
$14.23 million; including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products
coconuts; fish
Industries
fishing, tourism, copra
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
NA
hydro
NA
nuclear
NA
other
NA
Current account balance
$2.323 million (1998)
Exports
$1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities
copra, fish
Exports - partners
Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2006)
Imports
$9.186 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities
food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
Imports - partners
Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%, NZ 4.1% (2006)
Debt - external
$NA
Economic aid - recipient
$13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.)
Currency (code)
Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar
Currency code
AUD
Exchange rates
Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular
0 (2004)
Telephone system
general assessment
serves particular needs for internal communications
domestic
radiotelephone communications between islands
international
country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios
4,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
0 (2004)
Televisions
800
Internet country code
.tv
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
1,300 (2002)
Airports
1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
1 (2006)
Roadways
total
8 km
paved
8 km (2002)
Merchant marine
total
52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 196,790 GRT/256,436 DWT
