World Facts Index
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 of Tuvalu
|
Location:
|
Oceania, island group
consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
|
Coordinates:
|
8 00 S, 178 00 E |
|
Area:
|
total: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 26 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
0.1 times the size of
Washington, DC |
|
Land boundaries:
|
0 km |
|
Coastline:
|
24 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
contiguous zone: 24
NM
territorial sea: 12 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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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
|
Population of Tuvalu
|
Population:
|
12,177 (July 2008 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) |
|
Median age:
|
24.6 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
1.51% |
|
Infant mortality:
|
19.47 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 68.32 years
male: 66.08 years
female: 70.66 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
2.98 children born/woman |
|
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) |
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional short form: Tuvalu
note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the
country's eight traditionally inhabited islands
former: Ellice Islands |
|
Government type:
|
constitutional monarchy with a
parliamentary democracy; began debating republic status in 1992 |
|
Capital:
|
Funafuti; note - administrative offices are
located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet |
|
Independence:
|
1 October 1978 (from UK) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 1 October (1978) |
|
Constitution:
|
1 October 1978 |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II, represented by
Governor General Filoimea TELITO
head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA
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 Parliamen |
|
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) |
|
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) |
Economy
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. Job
opportunities are scarce and public sector workers make up the majority 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 $4 million in 2006. 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 TFF 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.
|
GDP:
|
$14.94 million (2002 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
3% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$1,100 |
|
Inflation rate:
|
5% |
|
Labor force:
|
7,000 |
|
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) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $22.5
million
expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of
$4.2 million |
|
Industries:
|
fishing, tourism, copra |
|
Agriculture:
|
coconuts; fish |
|
Exports:
|
copra, fish |
|
Export partners:
|
Italy 54.1%, Fiji 19.5%, Finland 7.3%, Ghana 4.1% |
|
Imports:
|
food, animals, mineral
fuels, machinery, manufactured goods |
|
Import partners:
|
Fiji 47%, Japan 18.4%, China 17.7%, Australia 8.9%,
NZ 4.8% |
|
Currency:
|
Australian dollar (AUD);
note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |