Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

1 (2000)

Internet country code [time series]

.tv

Internet users [time series]

NA

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1999)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: NA

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

1,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

0 (1994)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

0 (1997)

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

coconuts; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $22.5 million expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

AUD

Debt - external [time series]

$NA

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$13 million ; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. 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. 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. Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals, this Fund has grown from an initial $17 million to over $35 million in 1999. The US government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu, because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. 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%. In 1998, Tuvalu began deriving revenue from use of its area code for "900" lines and in 2000, from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new technology sources could increase substantially over the next decade. 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 investment income from overseas assets.

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA%

Exchange rates [time series]

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.8406 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998)

Exports [time series]

$276,000 f.o.b. (1997)

Exports - commodities [time series]

copra, fish

Exports - partners [time series]

UK 58.3%, Italy 16.7%, Denmark 8.3%, Fiji 8.3% (2002)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $12.2 million (2000 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

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

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

3% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$7.2 million c.i.f. (1998)

Imports - commodities [time series]

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Imports - partners [time series]

Hungary 68.2%, Japan 12.9%, Fiji 11.9% (2002)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

NA%

Industries [time series]

fishing, tourism, copra

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

5% (2000 est.)

Labor force [time series]

7,000 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

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)

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Area [time series]

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

Area - comparative [time series]

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate [time series]

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Coastline [time series]

24 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues [time series]

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 very 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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates [time series]

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the 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

Irrigated land [time series]

NA sq km

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)

Location [time series]

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 [time series]

Oceania

Maritime claims [time series]

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

Natural hazards [time series]

severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level

Natural resources [time series]

fish

Terrain [time series]

very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Administrative divisions [time series]

none

Capital [time series]

Funafuti

Constitution [time series]

1 October 1978

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tuvalu note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands former: Ellice Islands

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

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, New York 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Faimalaga LUKA (since 9 September 2003) elections: the monarch 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; election last held 2 August 2002 (next to be held NA) election results: Saufatu SOPOANGA elected prime minister; Parliamentary vote - Saufatu SOPOANGA 8, Amasone KILEI 7 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Saufatu SOPOANGA (since 2 August 2002)

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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 [time series]

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began debating republic status in 1992

Independence [time series]

1 October 1978 (from UK)

International organization participation [time series]

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IFRCS (associate), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch [time series]

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)

Legal system [time series]

NA

Legislative branch [time series]

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 25 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

none

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Background [time series]

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 the next dozen years.

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

no regular military forces; Police Force (includes Maritime Surveillance Unit for search and rescue missions and surveillance operations)

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$NA

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

NA%

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 31.9% (male 1,838; female 1,772) 15-64 years: 63% (male 3,432; female 3,687) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 231; female 345) (2003 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

21.58 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate [time series]

7.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

NA

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 21.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 24.35 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 67.32 years male: 65.15 years female: 69.59 years (2003 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: NA% total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Median age [time series]

total: 24.2 years male: 22.9 years female: 25.8 years (2002)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Tuvaluan(s) adjective: Tuvaluan

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Population [time series]

11,305 (July 2003 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.42% (2003 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.05 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Disputes - international [time series]

none

Airports [time series]

1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 8 km paved: 0 km unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 33,199 GRT/56,187 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 5 (2002 est.) ships by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Funafuti, Nukufetau

Railways [time series]

0 km

Waterways [time series]

none