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- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- Geography
-
-
- 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
- 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%
- note:
- Tuvalu's nine coral atolls have enough soil to grow coconuts and support
- subsistence agriculture
- 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;
- 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
- natural hazards:
- severe tropical storms are rare
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- Geography
- international agreements:
- party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
- Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of
- the Sea
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 9,991 (July 1995 est.)
- Age structure:
- 0-14 years:
- 36% (female 1,787; male 1,852)
- 15-64 years:
- 59% (female 3,105; male 2,764)
- 65 years and over:
- 5% (female 258; male 225) (July 1995 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 1.58% (1995 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 24.82 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Death rate:
- 9.01 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 27.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 63.15 years
- male:
- 61.87 years
- female:
- 64.34 years (1995 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 3.11 children born/woman (1995 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:
- NA%
- Labor force:
- NA
- by occupation:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- Government
-
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Tuvalu
- former:
- Ellice Islands
- Digraph:
- TV
- Type:
- democracy; began debating republic status in 1992
- 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
- Tulaga MANUELLA (since NA June 1994)
- 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, IFRCS (associate), INTELSAT (nonsignatory
- user), 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
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- 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:
- GDP - purchasing power parity - $7.8 million (1993 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- NA%
- National product per capita:
- $800 (1993 est.)
- 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 ($A) = 100 cents
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- Economy
- Exchange rates:
- Tuvaluan dollars ($T) or Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.3058 (January
- 1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799
- (1990)
- Fiscal year:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- Transportation
-
-
- Railroads:
- 0 km
- Highways:
- total:
- 8 km
- unpaved:
- gravel 8 km
- Ports:
- Funafuti, Nukufetau
- Merchant marine:
- total:
- 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,473 GRT/73,652 DWT
- ships by type:
- cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated
- cargo 1
- Airports:
- total:
- 1
- with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m:
- 1
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- Communications
-
-
- Telephone system:
- 108 telephones; 300 radiotelephones
- local:
- NA
- intercity:
- NA
- international:
- NA
- Radio:
- broadcast stations:
- AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
- radios:
- 4,000
- Television:
- broadcast stations:
- 0
- televisions:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Tuvalu
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- no military forces; Police Force
- Defense expenditures:
- $NA, NA% of GDP
-