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 a 12-year period. The agreement was subsequently renegotiated but details were not disclosed.

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Oceania

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

24 km

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

low-lying and narrow coral atolls

highest point: unnamed location 5 m

fish, coconut (copra)

arable land 0%; permanent crops 60%; permanent pasture 0%

0 sq km (2012)

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

since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most 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 increasing ocean temperatures and acidification; Tuvalu is 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

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

10,959 (July 2016 est.)

Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

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

Protestant 98.4% (Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%), Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%

0.85% (2016 est.)

23.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-6.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

FUNAFUTI (capital) 6,000 (2014)

23.5

2.98 children born/woman (2016 est.)

30.5% (2007)

16.5% of GDP (2014)

1.09 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

urban: 98.3% of population

rural: 97% of population

total: 97.7% of population

urban: 1.7% of population

rural: 3% of population

total: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 86.3% of population

rural: 80.2% of population

total: 83.3% of population

urban: 13.7% of population

rural: 19.8% of population

total: 16.7% of population (2012 est.)

NA

NA

NA

39.6% (2014)

1.6% (2007)

NA

parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

7 island councils and 1 town council*; Funafuti*, Nanumaga, Nanumea, Niutao, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, Vaitupu

1 October 1978 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

previous 1978 (at independence); latest effective 1 October 1986; amended 2007, 2010, 2013 (2016)

mixed legal system of English common law and local customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

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

none

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

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

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 on a blue field symbolizing the nine atolls in the ocean

maneapa (native meeting house); national colors: light blue, yellow

Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. Only eight of the atolls are inhabited. It is one of the smallest countries in the world, with its highest point at 4.6 meters above sea level. The country is isolated, almost entirely dependent on imports, particularly of food and fuel, and vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, which pose significant challenges to development.

The public sector dominates economic activity. Tuvalu has few natural resources, except for its fisheries. Earnings from fish exports and fishing licenses for Tuvalu’s territorial waters are a significant source of government revenue. In 2013, revenue from fishing licenses doubled and totaled more than 45% of GDP.

Official aid from foreign development partners has also increased. Tuvalu has substantial assets abroad. The Tuvalu Trust Fund, an international trust fund established in 1987 by development partners, has grown to $141 million in 2013 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. While remittances are another substantial source of income, the value of remittances has declined since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. Growing income inequality is one of many concerns for the nation.

$37 million (2015 est.)

$36.05 million (2014 est.)

$35.26 million (2013 est.)

$33 million (2015 est.)

2.6% (2015 est.)

2.2% (2014 est.)

1.3% (2013 est.)

$3,400 (2015 est.)

$3,300 (2014 est.)

$3,200 (2013 est.)

coconuts; fish

fishing

-26.1% (2012 est.)

3,615 (2004 est.)

NA%

26.3% (2010 est.)

129.3% of GDP (2013 est.)

31% of GDP (2013 est.)

41.1% of GDP (2013 est.)

43.1% of GDP (2012 est.)

calendar year

3.3% (2015 est.)

1.1% (2014 est.)

10.6% (31 December 2013 est.)

10.6% (31 December 2012 est.)

$0 (2014)

-$9 million (2015 est.)

-$10 million (2014 est.)

$600,000 (2010 est.)

$1 million (2004 est.)

copra, fish

$136.5 million (2013 est.)

$238.6 million (2012 est.)

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

$NA

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -

1.3291 (2015 est.)

1.67 (2014 est.)

1.1094 (2013 est.)

0.97 (2012 est.)

0.9695 (2011 est.)

11.8 million kWh (2011)

0 kWh (2014 est.)

0 kWh (2014)

5,100 kW (2011)

96% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2014)

0% of total installed capacity (2014)

0 bbl/day (2014)

0 bbl/day (2014)

0 bbl/day (2014)

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day

0 cu m (2014)

0 cu m (2014)

0 cu m (2014)

0 cu m (2014)

no TV stations; many households use satellite dishes to watch foreign TV stations; 1 government-owned radio station, Radio Tuvalu, includes relays of programming from international broadcasters (2009)

.tv

T2 (2016)

1 (2013)

no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force (2012)

none