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 1998 Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name '.tv' for $50 million in royalties over the next dozen years.

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 178 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 26 km²
Land: 26 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: 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

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

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

Natural resources: fish

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

Irrigated land: NA km²

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

Population: 10,444 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 1.4% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Tuvaluan(s)
Adjective: Tuvaluan

Ethnic groups: Polynesian 96%

Languages: Tuvaluan, English

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 35% (male 1,875; female 1,804)
15-64 years: 60% (male 2,980; female 3,290)
65 years and over: 5% (male 226; female 269) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.4% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 22.6 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 8.62 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)

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; Tuvalu is very concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table
International agreements party to: Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 26.23 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 63.88 years
Male: 62.72 years
Female: 65.09 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Literacy: NA; note_education is free and compulsory from ages 6 through 13

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Tuvalu
Former: Ellice Islands

Government type: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary 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 of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Manuella TULAGA (since NA June 1994): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Bikenibeu PAENIU (since 23 December 1996) and Deputy Prime Minister Kokeiya MALUA (since 8 April 1998);
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 8 April 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: Bikenibeu PAENIU reelected prime minister by a vote in Parliament of 10 to 2; Kokeiya MALUA elected deputy prime minister; percent of Parliament vote_NA

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (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 26-27 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002)
Election results: percent of vote_NA; seats_independents 12

Judicial branch: eight Island Courts; High Court; note_a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over sessions of the High Court

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US
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 symbolizing the nine islands

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%. Low-lying Tuvalu is particularly vulnerable to any future global warming.

Real gdp growth rate: 8.7% (1995)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $800 (1995 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

Agriculture products: coconuts; fish

Industries: fishing, tourism, copra

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

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%

Budget
Revenues: $4.3 million
Expenditures: $4.3 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1989 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: total value:$165,000 (f.o.b., 1989)
Commodoties: copra
Partners: Fiji, Australia, NZ

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

Debt external: $NA

Exchange rates: Tuvaluan dollars ($T) or Australian dollars ($A) per US$1: 1.5281 (January 1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993)

Electricity
Capacity: 2,600 kW (1995)
Production: 3 million kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: NA kWh

Telephones: 130 (1983 est.)

Telephone system
Domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
International: NA

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 1 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Merchant marine
Total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 53,220 GRT/83,118 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 4, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 1 (1997 est.)

Disputes international: none