Tuvalu

Airports

total: 1 usable: 1 with permanent-surface runways: 0 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1

Highways

total: 8 km unpaved: gravel 8 km

Merchant marine

7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 57,067 GRT/102,037 DWT, chemical tanker 4, oil tanker 2, passenger-cargo 1

Ports

Funafuti, Nukufetau

Telecommunications

broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 300 radiotelephones; 4,000 radios; 108 telephones

Branches

Police Force

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GNP

Agriculture

coconuts and fish

Budget

revenues: $4.3 million expenditures: $4.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)

Currency

1 Tuvaluan dollar ($T) or 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $101 million

Electricity

capacity: 2,600 kW production: 3 million kWh consumption per capita: 330 kWh (1990)

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars ($T) or Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4364 (January 1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989)

Exports

$165,000 (f.o.b., 1989) commodities: copra partners: Fiji, Australia, NZ

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

NA

Imports

$4.4 million (c.i.f., 1989) commodities: food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods partners: Fiji, Australia, NZ

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

fishing, tourism, copra

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.9% (1989)

National product

GNP - exchange rate conversion - $6.4 million (1990)

National product per capita

$700 (1990)

National product real growth rate

4% (1990 est.)

Overview

Tuvalu consists of a 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. The islands are too small and too remote for development of a tourist industry. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker remittances. 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.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 26 sq km land area: 26 sq km comparative area: about 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

Environment

current issues: since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, all water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities natural hazards: severe tropical storms are rare international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%

Location

Oceania, Polynesia, 3,000 km east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean

Map references

Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

fish

Terrain

very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Administrative divisions

none

Capital

Funafuti

Constitution

1 October 1978

Digraph

TV

Diplomatic representation in US

Tuvalu has no mission in the US

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Tomu Malaefono SIONE (since NA 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Kamuta LATASI (since 10 December 1993); Deputy Prime Minister Otinielu TAUSI (since 10 December 1993) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on recommendation of the prime minister

Flag

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

Independence

1 October 1978 (from UK)

Judicial branch

High Court

Legal system

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ACP, AsDB, C (special), ESCAP, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), ITU, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tuvalu former: Ellice Islands

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Parliament (Palamene)

elections last held 25 November 1993 (next to be held by NA 1997); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (12 total)

Political parties and leaders

none

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

democracy; began debating republic status in 1992; referendum expected in 1993

US diplomatic representation

none

Birth rate

25.73 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

9.15 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Polynesian 96%

Infant mortality rate

27.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

NA by occupation: NA

Languages

Tuvaluan, English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 63.03 years male: 61.57 years female: 64.08 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Tuvaluans(s) adjective: Tuvaluan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

9,831 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

1.66% (1994 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

3.11 children born/woman (1994 est.)