Tuvalu

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

4,000 (1993 est.)

Telephone system

domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: NA

Telephones

130 (1983 est.)

Television broadcast stations

0

Televisions

NA

Agriculture - products

coconuts; fish

Budget

revenues: $4.3 million expenditures: $4.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)

Currency

1 Tuvaluan dollar ($T) or 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$NA

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $1.725 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.); $1.7 million from NZ (FY95/96)

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. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. The islands are too small and too remote for development of a large-scale tourist industry. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker remittances. About 1,000 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry. Nauru has begun repatriating Tuvaluans, however, as phosphate resources decline, which will present additional problems for Tuvalu's already stretched economy. 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. In an effort to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts of up to 7%.

Electricity - capacity

2,600 kW (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita

NA kWh

Electricity - production

3 million kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars ($T) or Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.2835 (January 1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992)

Exports

total value: $165,000 (f.o.b., 1989) commodities: copra partners: Fiji, Australia, NZ

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $7.8 million (1995 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture : NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $800 (1995 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

8.7% (1995)

Imports

total value: $4.4 million (c.i.f., 1989) commodities : food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods partners: Fiji, Australia, NZ

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

fishing, tourism, copra

Inflation rate - consumer price index

2.9% (1989)

Labor force

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

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total : 26 sq km land: 26 sq km water: 0 sq km

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, 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

Environment - international agreements

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

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other : 100% (1993 est.) note: Tuvalu's nine coral atolls have enough soil to grow coconuts and support subsistence agriculture

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

Maritime claims

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

Natural hazards

severe tropical storms are rare

Natural resources

fish

Terrain

very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Administrative divisions

none

Constitution

1 October 1978

Country name

conventional long form : none conventional short form: Tuvalu former: Ellice Islands

Data code

TV

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

Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Manuella TULAGA (since NA June 1994) head of government : Prime Minister Bikenibeu PAENIU (since 23 December 1996) and Deputy Prime Minister Ionatana IONATANA (since 23 December 1996) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last held NA December 1996 (next to be held by NA 1997) election results: Bikenibeu PAENIU elected prime minister; percent of Parliament vote - NA; Ionatana IONATANA elected deputy prime minister; percent of Parliament vote - NA

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 symbolizing the nine islands

Government type

democracy; began debating republic status in 1992

Independence

1 October 1978 (from UK)

International organization participation

AsDB, C (special), ESCAP, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch

High Court; note - a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over sessions of the High Court

Legal system

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono (12 seats - two from each island with more than 1,000 inhabitants, one from all the other inhabited islands; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 November 1993 (next to be held by NA 1997) election results : percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 12

National capital

Funafuti

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Political parties and leaders

none

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Military branches

no regular military forces; Police Force (consists of full-time personnel 45, part-time personnel 16)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: NA

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: NA

Age structure

0-14 years: 36% (male 1,871; female 1,803) 15-64 years : 59% (male 2,903; female 3,226) 65 years and over: 5% (male 229; female 265) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

23.31 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

8.84 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

Polynesian 96%

Infant mortality rate

26.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

Tuvaluan, English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 63.61 years male: 62.44 years female : 64.84 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

NA; note - education is free and compulsory from ages 6 through 13

Nationality

noun: Tuvaluan(s) adjective: Tuvaluan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

10,297 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

1.45% (1997 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years : 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.11 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

none UGANDA

Airports

1 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 8 km (1995 est.) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km

Merchant marine

total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 49,488 GRT/80,968 DWT ships by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 4, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 1 (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors

Funafuti, Nukufetau

Railways

0 km