Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces

TUVALU

@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
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
TUVALU - MAJOR CITIES 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                        Latitude,      Internat'l     Time   
                        Population      Longitude      Phone Code     Zone   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
FUNAFUTI                     3,000     8.30S,179.12E     688-        GMT+12  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 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
 international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered
 Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
 signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

@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

@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

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

 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

@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

@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

@Tuvalu:Defense Forces

 Branches: no military forces; Police Force

 Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP


________________________________________________________________________