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Tuvalu
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Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II
(1952)
Governor-General: Filoimea Telito
(2005)
Prime Minister: Maatia Toafa
(2004)
Current government officials
Total area: 10 sq mi (26 sq km)
Population (2007 est.): 11,992 (growth
rate: 1.5%); birth rate: 22.4/1000; infant mortality rate:
18.9/1000; life expectancy: 68.6; density per sq mi: 1,195
Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Funafuti, 5,300
Monetary unit: Australian dollar
Languages:
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the
island of Nui)
Ethnicity/race:
Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%
Religions:
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, Baha'i 1%
Literacy rate: n.a
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2002
est.): $14.94 million; per capita $1,600. Real growth rate:
3% (2006 est.). Inflation: 3.8%. Unemployment:
n.a. Arable land: 0%. Agriculture: coconuts; fish.
Labor force: 3,615 (2004 est.); 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). Industries: fishing, tourism, copra.
Natural resource: fish. Exports: $1 million f.o.b.
(2004 est.): copra, fish. Imports: $31 million c.i.f. (2004
est.): food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods.
Major trading partners: Germany, Fiji, Italy, UK, Poland,
Japan, Australia, China, New Zealand (2004).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main lines
in use: 1,000 (1997); mobile cellular: 0 (1994). Radio broadcast
stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1999). Radios: 4,000
(1997). Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997).
Televisions: 800. Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1
(2000). Internet users: n.a.
Transportation: Railways: 0 km.
Highways: total: 8 km (1999 est.); paved: 0 km; unpaved: 8
km. Ports and harbors: Funafuti, Nukufetau. Airports:
1 (2002).
International disputes: none.
Major sources and definitions
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Geography
Tuvalu consists of nine small islands scattered over 500,000 sq mi of
the western Pacific, just south of the equator. The islands include
Niulakita, Nukulaelae, Funafuti, Nukufetau, Vaitupu, Nui, Niutao, Nanumaga
(Nanumanga), and Nanumea.
Government
Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy.
History
Formerly the Ellice Islands, Tuvalu's first Polynesian settlers were
probably Samoans or Tongans. The Ellice Islands became a British
protectorate in 1892 and were annexed by Britain in 1915–1916 as part of
the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. The Ellice Islands were separated
from the Gilberts in 1975, given home rule, and renamed Tuvalu. Full
independence was granted on Sept. 30, 1978, but Tuvalu remained part of
the Commonwealth. In 1979, the U.S. gave Tuvalu four islands that had been
U.S. territory.
In 1997, the government adopted a strong stance on the need to control
emissions of greenhouse gases in order to ensure the survival of low-lying
island nations, which are threatened by rising sea levels—Tuvalu's highest
point is just 16 ft above sea level. In 2000, Tuvalu became a member of
the United Nations. Tuvalu reportedly makes millions of dollars each year
by leasing its highly marketable .tv Internet domain.
See also Encyclopedia: Tuvalu.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Tuvalu
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