Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Introduction

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.

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

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Map references

Oceania

Area

total: 26 sq km
country comparison to the world: 237 land:26 sq km
water:0 sq km

Area – comparative

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

0 km

Coastline

24 km

Maritime claims

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

Climate

tropical

moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November)

westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Terrain

low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Elevation extremes

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

Natural resources

fish

Land use

arable land: 0%
permanent crops:66.67%
other:33.33% (2005)

Irrigated land

NA

Natural hazards

severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones

low level of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

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 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

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

People and Society

Nationality

noun: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective:Tuvaluan

Ethnic groups

Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

Languages

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

Religions

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

Population

10,544 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 224

Age structure

0-14 years: 30.6% (male 1,656/female 1,569)
15-64 years:64% (male 3,294/female 3,459)
65 years and over:5.4% (male 238/female 328) (2011 est.)

Median age

total: 24.1 years
male:22.7 years
female:26.1 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

0.702% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139

Birth rate

23.24 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71

Death rate

9.2 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67

Net migration rate

-7.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203

Urbanization

urban population: 50% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization:1.4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.042 male(s)/female
under 15 years:1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:0.73 male(s)/female
total population:0.97 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 34.52 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 69 male:37.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female:31.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 64.75 years
country comparison to the world: 168 male:62.7 years
female:66.9 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.11 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59

Health expenditures

9.9% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 29

Physicians density

0.636 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
country comparison to the world: 116

Hospital bed density

5.56 beds/1,000 population (2001)
country comparison to the world: 32

Drinking water source

improved:
urban: 98% of population
rural: 97% of population
total: 97% of population
unimproved:
urban: 2% of population
rural: 3% of population
total: 3% of population (2008)

Sanitation facility access

improved:
urban: 88% of population
rural: 81% of population
total: 84% of population
unimproved:
urban: 12% of population
rural: 19% of population
total: 16% of population (2008)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

HIV/AIDS – deaths

NA

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.6% (2007)
country comparison to the world: 114

Education expenditures

NA

Literacy

NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years
male:10 years
female:11 years (2001)

Government

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Capital

name: Funafuti
geographic coordinates:8 30 S, 179 12 E
time difference:UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note:administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet

Administrative divisions

none

Independence

1 October 1978 (from the UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Constitution

1 October 1978

Legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and local customary law

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration

non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage

18 years of age

universal

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

represented by Governor General Iakoba TAEIA Italeli (since May 2010)
head of government:Prime Minister Willie TELAVI (since 24 December 2010)
cabinet:Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
(For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections:the monarchy 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 following parliamentary elections
election results:Willie TELAVI elected prime minister in a parliamentary election on 24 December 2010 following a no-confidence vote on 21 December 2010 that ousted Maatia TOAFA

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (15 seats

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:last held on 16 September 2010 (next to be held in 2014)
election results:percent of vote – NA

seats – independents 15

10 members reelected

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)

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

International organization participation

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US – the country’s only diplomatic post is in Fiji – Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534, fax: [1] (212) 937-0692

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu

the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

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

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

Economy

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 and is almost entirely dependent upon imported food and fuel. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Job opportunities are scarce and public sector workers make up most of those employed. About 15% of the adult male population work as seamen on merchant ships abroad, and remittances are a vital source of income contributing around $2 million in 2007. Substantial income is received annually from the Tuvalu Trust Fund (TTF) 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 grew from an initial $17 million to an estimated value of $77 million in 2006. The TTF contributed nearly $9 million towards the government budget in 2006 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government’s budget. The US Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to ensure financial stability and sustainability, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts. Tuvalu also derives royalties from the lease of its “.tv” Internet domain name with revenue of more than $2 million in 2006. A minor source of government revenue comes from the sale of stamps and coins. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and income from overseas investments. Growing income disparities and the vulnerability of the country to climatic change are among leading concerns for the nation.

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$36 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 223 $36.34 million (2009 est.)
$36.68 million (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$32 million (2010 est.)

GDP – real growth rate

0.2% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185 -1.7% (2009 est.)
7% (2008 est.)

GDP – per capita (PPP)

$3,400 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164 $2,900 (2009 est.)
$3,000 (2008 est.)

GDP – composition by sector

agriculture: 16.6%
industry:27.2%
services:56.2% (2002)

Labor force

3,615 (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 220

Labor force – by occupation

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

Unemployment rate

NA%

Population below poverty line

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Budget

revenues: $21.54 million
expenditures:$23.05 million (2006)

Taxes and other revenues

67.3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 8

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4.7% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 140

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.8% (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125

Agriculture – products

coconuts

fish

Industries

fishing, tourism, copra

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Current account balance

-$11.68 million (2003)
country comparison to the world: 64

Exports

$1 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 218

Exports – commodities

copra, fish

Imports

$12.91 million (2005)
country comparison to the world: 220

Imports – commodities

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Debt – external

$NA

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -
1.0902 (2010)
1.2822 (2009)
1.2137 (2007)
1.3285 (2006)

Transportation

Airports

1 (2010)
country comparison to the world:233

Airports – with unpaved runways

total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m:1 (2010)

Roadways

total: 8 km
country comparison to the world: 221 paved:8 km (2002)

Merchant marine

total: 66
country comparison to the world: 63 by type:bulk carrier 7, cargo 20, chemical tanker 16, container 3, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 1, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned:49 (Thailand 1, Vietnam 6, Turkey 1, Switzerland 1, South Korea 1, Singapore 25, Maldives 1, Malaysia 1, Kenya 1, Hong Kong 1, China 9, Ukraine 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals

Funafuti

Military

Military branches

no regular military forces

Tuvalu Police Force (2009)

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 expenditures

NA

Transnational Issues

Disputes – international

none