Tuvalu

Broadcast media

no TV 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 users

total: 4,100 | percent of population: 38.1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 206

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 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 (2007)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 1,500 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 215

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 3,800 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 35 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 217

Television broadcast stations

0 (2004)

Agriculture - products

coconuts; fish

Budget

revenues: $42.68 million | expenditures: $32.46 million (2012 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

26.9% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 1

Commercial bank prime lending rate

10.6% (2013 est.) | 10.6% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 78

Current account balance

-$10 million (2014 est.) | -$9 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 67

Debt - external

$NA

Economy - overview

Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. Only eight of the atolls are inhabited. It is one of the smallest countries in the world, with its highest point at 4.6 meters above sea level. The country is isolated, almost entirely dependent on imports, particularly of food and fuel, and vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, which pose significant challenges to development. The public sector dominates economic activity. Tuvalu has few natural resources, except for its fisheries. Earnings from fish exports and fishing licenses for Tuvalu’s territorial waters are a significant source of government revenue. In 2013, revenue from fishing licenses doubled and totaled more than 45% of GDP. Official aid from foreign development partners has also increased. Tuvalu has substantial assets abroad. The Tuvalu Trust Fund, an international trust fund established in 1987 by development partners, has grown to $141 million in 2013 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. While remittances are another substantial source of income, the value of remittances has declined since the global financial crisis of 2008. Growing income inequality is one of many concerns for the nation.

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - | 1.1094 (2013) | 1.67 (2013 est.) | 1.2822 (2009 est.)

Exports

$600,000 (2010 est.) | $1 million (2004 est.) | country comparison to the world: 219

Exports - commodities

copra, fish

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$38 million (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$35 million (2014 est.) | $34.23 million (2013 est.) | $33.8 million (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 227

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 24.5% | industry: 5.6% | services: 70% (2012 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$3,300 (2014 est.) | $3,200 (2013 est.) | $3,200 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 184

GDP - real growth rate

2.2% (2014 est.) | 1.3% (2013 est.) | 0.2% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$136.5 million (2013 est.) | $238.6 million (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 213

Imports - commodities

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Industrial production growth rate

-26.1% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 200

Industries

fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.3% (2014 est.) | 2% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Labor force

3,615 (2004 est.) | country comparison to the world: 223

Labor force - by occupation

note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and through overseas remittances (mostly from workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$0 (2014) | country comparison to the world: 121

Population below poverty line

26.3% (2010 est.)

Public debt

41.1% of GDP (2013 est.) | 43.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Taxes and other revenues

NA (2013 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2014) | country comparison to the world: 199

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2014) | country comparison to the world: 137

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2014) | country comparison to the world: 200

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 201

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 207

Electricity - from fossil fuels

96% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2014) | country comparison to the world: 208

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2014) | country comparison to the world: 195

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2014) | country comparison to the world: 211

Electricity - installed generating capacity

5,100 kW (2011) | country comparison to the world: 211

Electricity - production

11.8 million kWh (2011) | country comparison to the world: 216

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 203

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 196

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 144

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 139

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 139

Area

total: 26 sq km | land: 26 sq km | water: 0 sq km | country comparison to the world: 238

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; 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 increasing ocean temperatures and acidification; 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

agricultural land: 60% | arable land 0%; permanent crops 60%; permanent pasture 0% | forest: 33.3% | other: 6.7% (2011 est.)

Location

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

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

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

fish, coconut (copra)

Terrain

low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Administrative divisions

7 island councils and 1 town council*; Funafuti*, Nanumaga, Nanumea, Niutao, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, Vaitupu

Capital

name: Funafuti; note - administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet | geographic coordinates: 8 31 S, 179 13 E | time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: yes | citizenship by descent: yes; for a child born abroad, at least one parent must be a citizen of Tuvalu | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: na

Constitution

previous 1978 (at independence); latest effective 1 October 1986; amended 2007, 2010, 2013 (2015)

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

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

chief of mission: Ambassador Aunese Makoi SIMATI (since 11 January 2013) | chancery: note - Tuvalu does not have an embassy in Washington, D.C.; 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

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Iakoba TAEIA Italeli (since 16 April 2010) | head of government: Prime Minister Enele SOPOAGA (since 5 August 2013) | cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on recommendation of the prime minister | elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from members of House of Assembly following parliamentary elections | election results: Enele SOPOAGA elected prime minister by House of Assembly; House of Assembly vote count on 4 August 2013 - 8 to 5; note - Willie TELAVI removed as prime minister by the governor general on 1 August 2013

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 law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Court of Appeal is the Fiji Court of Appeal on Fiji Island (consists of the chief justice who visits twice a year); High Court, located on Fiji, consists of the chief justice of Fiji who presides over its sessions | judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the president of Fiji on the advice of the prime minister following consultation with the parliamentary leader of the opposition; justices of the Court of Appeal, and puisne judges of the High Court are appointed by the president of Fiji, upon the nomination of the Judicial Service Commission, after consulting with the Cabinet Minister and the committee of the House of Representatives responsible for the administration of justice; the chief justice and justices of Appeal generally required to retire at age 70; puisine judges appointed for not less than 4 years nor more than 7 years with mandatory retirement at age 65 | subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; island courts; lands courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and local customary law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral House of Assembly or Fale I Fono (15 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 31 March 2015 (next to be held in 2019) | election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 15; 12 members reelected

National anthem

name: "Tuvalu mo te Atua" (Tuvalu for the Almighty) | lyrics/music: Afaese MANOA | note: adopted 1978; the anthem's name is also the nation's motto

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

National symbol(s)

maneapa (native meeting house); national colors: light blue, yellow

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 a 12-year period. The agreement was subsequently renegotiated but details were not disclosed.

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 2,021 | females age 16-49: 2,026 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 119 | female: 111 (2010 est.)

Military branches

no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 29.4% (male 1,639/female 1,557) | 15-24 years: 20.27% (male 1,157/female 1,046) | 25-54 years: 36.35% (male 1,946/female 2,005) | 55-64 years: 8.41% (male 373/female 541) | 65 years and over: 5.57% (male 247/female 358) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

23.74 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.6% (2007) | country comparison to the world: 126

Contraceptive prevalence rate

30.5% (2007)

Death rate

8.74 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Drinking water source

urban: 98.3% of population | rural: 97% of population | total: 97.7% of population | urban: 1.7% of population | rural: 3% of population | total: 2.3% of population (2015 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

Health expenditures

19.7% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 4

Hospital bed density

5.6 beds/1,000 population (2001)

Infant mortality rate

total: 30.8 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 33.46 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 28.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 66.16 years | male: 64.01 years | female: 68.41 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Major urban areas - population

FUNAFUTI (capital) 6,000 (2014)

Median age

total: 25.2 years | male: 24.1 years | female: 26.6 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

noun: Tuvaluan(s) | adjective: Tuvaluan

Net migration rate

-6.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 204

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

39.6% (2014)

Physicians density

1.09 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

10,869 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 223

Population growth rate

0.82% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Religions

Protestant 98.4% (Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%), Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%

Sanitation facility access

urban: 86.3% of population | rural: 80.2% of population | total: 83.3% of population | urban: 13.7% of population | rural: 19.8% of population | total: 16.7% of population (2012 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.11 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.97 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.69 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female | total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

3 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Urbanization

urban population: 59.7% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Airports

1 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 235

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 58 | by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 24, chemical tanker 15, container 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 1 | foreign-owned: 33 (China 4, Indonesia 1, Maldives 1, Singapore 19, South Korea 1, Turkey 1, Vietnam 6) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 67

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Funafuti

Roadways

total: 8 km | paved: 8 km (2011) | country comparison to the world: 223