| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands
note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands |
| Capital: |
Funafuti; note - administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet |
| 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 |
| Area: |
total: 26 sq km
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: |
very low-lying and narrow coral atolls |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
fish |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began debating republic status in 1992 |
| Administratives
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 (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Faimalaga LUKA (since 9 September 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA (since 11 October 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
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 11 October 2004 (next to be held following parliamentary elections in 2006)
election results: Saufatu SOPOANGA resigned parliamentary seat on 27 August 2004 following no-confidence vote on 25 August 2004; succeeded by Deputy Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA in an acting capacity on 27 August 2004; Maatia TOAFA confirmed Prime Minister in a Parliamentary election (8-7 vote) on 11 October 2004 |
| 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 25 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15 |
| 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 |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
11,636 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 30.8% (male 1,823/female 1,756)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 3,620/female 3,847)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 229/female 361) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 24.45 years
male: 23.36 years
female: 25.85 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan |
| Ethnic groups: |
Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% |
| Religions: |
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6% |
| Languages: |
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
700 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
0 (2004) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
0 (2004) |
| Internet country
code: |
.tv |
| Internet hosts: |
|
| Internet users: |
1,300 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 8 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Funafuti, Nukufetau |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 54,993 GRT/86,048 DWT
by type: cargo 20, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 16 (China 9, Germany 2, Hong Kong 4, Thailand 1) (2005) |
| Airports: |
1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
|
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
