Tuvalu

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet country code

.tv

Internet users

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

4,000 (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: NA

Telephones - main lines in use

1,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (1994)

Television broadcast stations

0 (1997)

Televisions

800

Agriculture - products

coconuts; fish

Budget

revenues: $6.2 million expenditures: $6.1 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Currency

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

Currency code

AUD

Debt - external

$NA

Economic aid - recipient

$13 million (1999 est.); note - major donors are Japan and Australia

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. 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, with 1999 payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries at about $9 million, a total which is expected to rise annually. 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 sale of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new technology sources could raise GDP three or more times over the next decade. In 1999, with merchandise exports falling and financing reaching less than 5% of imports, continued reliance was placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and investment income from overseas assets to cover the trade deficit.

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA%

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996)

Exports

$165,000 (f.o.b., 1989)

Exports - commodities

copra

Exports - partners

Fiji, Australia, NZ

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $11.6 million (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,100 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$4.4 million (c.i.f., 1989)

Imports - commodities

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Imports - partners

Fiji, Australia, NZ

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

fishing, tourism, copra

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (1999 est.)

Labor force

NA

Labor force - by occupation

people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those working abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 26 sq km land: 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

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (1993 est.)

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 very sensitive to changes in sea level

Natural resources

fish

Terrain

very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Administrative divisions

none

Capital

Funafuti

Constitution

1 October 1978

Country name

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

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

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Tomasi PUAPUA (since 26 June 1998) head of government: Acting Prime Minister Lagitupu (of Nanumea) TUILIMU (since 8 December 2000); note - TUILIMU took over after Prime Minister Ionatana IONATANA died suddenly of a heart attack on 8 December 2000 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 27 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: results of the last election for prime minister - Ionatana IONATANA elected prime minister; percent of Parliament vote - NA%; Lagitupu (of Nanumea) TUILIMU elected deputy prime minister; percent of Parliament vote - NA%; note - Deputy Prime Minister Lagitupu (of Nanumea) TUILIMU became acting prime minister following the death of Prime Minister Ionatana IONATANA on 8 December 2000

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

Government type

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began debating republic status in 1992

Independence

1 October 1978 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IFRCS (associate), Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)

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

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (12 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 26-27 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 12

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

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.

Military branches

no regular military forces; Police Force includes Maritime Surveillance Unit for search and rescue missions and surveillance operations

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Age structure

0-14 years: 33.28% (male 1,862; female 1,796) 15-64 years: 61.6% (male 3,241; female 3,529) 65 years and over: 5.12% (male 236; female 327) (2001 est.)

Birth rate

21.56 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate

7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Ethnic groups

Polynesian 96%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

22.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Languages

Tuvaluan, English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 66.65 years male: 64.52 years female: 68.88 years (2001 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun: Tuvaluan(s) adjective: Tuvaluan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Population

10,991 (July 2001 est.)

Population growth rate

1.4% (2001 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.09 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Airports

1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Highways

total: 8 km paved: 0 km unpaved: 8 km (1996)

Merchant marine

total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,135 GRT/68,300 DWT ships by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.)

Ports and harbors

Funafuti, Nukufetau

Railways

0 km

Waterways

none