Tuvalu




                                 Geography


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
Area:
total area:
     26 sq km
land area:
     26 sq km
comparative area:
     about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
     0 km
Coastline:
     24 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
     24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     none
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
Natural resources:
     fish
Land use:
arable land:
     0%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     0%
forest and woodland:
     0%
other:
     100%
Irrigated land:
     NA sq 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


                                  People


Population:
     9,831 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     1.66% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     25.73 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     9.15 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     27.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     63.03 years
male:
     61.57 years
female:
     64.08 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     3.11 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Tuvaluans(s)
adjective:
     Tuvaluan
Ethnic divisions:
     Polynesian 96%
Religions:
     Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%,
     Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Languages:
     Tuvaluan, English
Literacy:
total population:
     NA%
male:
     NA%
female:
     NA%
Labor force:
     NA
by occupation:
     NA


                                Government




Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
former:
     Ellice Islands
Digraph:
     TV
Type:
     democracy; began debating republic status in 1992; referendum expected
     in 1993
Capital:
     Funafuti
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 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
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
Parliament (Palamene):
     elections last held 25 November 1993 (next to be held by NA 1997);
     results - percent of vote NA; seats - (12 total)
Judicial branch:
     High Court
Political parties and leaders:
     none
Member of:
     ACP, AsDB, C (special), ESCAP, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), ITU,
     SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
     Tuvalu has no mission in the US
US diplomatic representation:
     none




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


                                  Economy


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.
National product:
     GNP - exchange rate conversion - $6.4 million (1990)
National product real growth rate:
     4% (1990 est.)
National product per capita:
     $700 (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     2.9% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $4.3 million
expenditures:
     $4.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
Exports:
     $165,000 (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
     copra
partners:
     Fiji, Australia, NZ
Imports:
     $4.4 million (c.i.f., 1989)
commodities:
     food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
partners:
     Fiji, Australia, NZ
External debt:
     $NA
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
     2,600 kW
production:
     3 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     330 kWh (1990)




Industries:
     fishing, tourism, copra
Agriculture:
     coconuts and fish
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),  $101
     million
Currency:
     1 Tuvaluan dollar ($T) or 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
     Tuvaluan dollars ($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)
Fiscal year:
     NA


                              Communications


Highways:
total:
     8 km
unpaved:
     gravel 8 km
Ports:
     Funafuti, Nukufetau
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
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
Telecommunications:
     broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 300 radiotelephones; 4,000
     radios; 108 telephones


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Police Force
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GNP