| Introduction | Tuvalu is an independent constitutional monarchy in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Formerly known as the Ellice Islands, they separated from the Gilbert Islands after a referendum in 1975, and achieved independence from Great Britain on October 1, 1978. In 1986, Tuvaluans approved a new, locally written constitution. The population live on Tuvalu's nine atolls, which have a total land area of 10 square miles, or 27 square kilometres. This ranks Tuvalu as the fourth smallest country in the world, in terms of land area. By population, it is the smallest member of the United Nations. The population, however, has more than doubled since 1980. The country name roughly translates to "8 standing together". This refers to the eight traditional islands of Tuvalu. The ninth island, tiny Niulakita, was inhabited only since the 1950's, and was not part of "ancient" Tuvalu. It is now inhabited by natives of Niutao. |
| Population | Population: 10,000 (2009) Population growth rate: 0.4% Life expectancy: 64 years |
| Geography | Tuvalu lies in Oceania. It is an island group consisting of nine low-lying and narrow coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia. 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 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. |
| Religion | Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%.Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%. |
| Government | Government type Parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm Chief of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor General The Hon Iakoba Taeia Italei Head of Government: Prime Minister The Hon Willy Telavi (since December 2010) Assembly: Tuvalu has a unicameral Parliament (Fale I Fono) with 15 seats The Queen is hereditary. (For more information visit the World Leaders website.) Elections: The Prime Minister is elected by parliament. In the Parliament 15 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms. Election last held on 16 September 2010. |
| Economics | GDP (purchasing power parity) US$32 Million 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 and is almost entirely dependent upon imported food and fuel. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Job opportunities are scarce and public sector workers make up most of those employed. About 15% of the adult male population work as seamen on merchant ships abroad, and remittances are a vital source of income contributing around $2 million in 2007. Substantial income is received annually from the Tuvalu Trust Fund (TTF) 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 grew from an initial $17 million to an estimated value of $77 million in 2006. The TTF contributed nearly $9 million towards the government budget in 2006 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. The US Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to ensure financial stability and sustainability, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts. Tuvalu also derives royalties from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name with revenue of more than $2 million in 2006. A minor source of government revenue comes from the sale of stamps and coins. 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 income from overseas investments. Growing income disparities and the vulnerability of the country to climatic change are among leading concerns for the nation. (Source: The World Factbook) |
| Health | Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in Tuvalu, and the Ministry of Health is designing an NCD plan to specifically focus on four main areas: food and nutrition; physical health; tobacco; and alcohol. The plan will provide a road map for the Department of Public Health to combat NCDs in the future. Tuberculosis, previously thought to be under control, is now increasing again, with an average of 15 new sputum-positive cases every year. The increase is most likely due to improved sputum testing facilities and diagnostics. A full-time programme officer will be recruited with Global Fund support to work with the assigned medical officer, thus allowing more time for clinical care, contact tracing, patient counselling, inpatient care and DOTS implementation. As in other Pacific island countries, diseases like dengue and typhoid fever occur from time to time. For diagnosis of many diseases, specimens need to be shipped to overseas laboratories and this limits the sensitivity and timeliness of surveillance. There may be an occupational risk of leptospirosis among pig farmers, although this disease has not been reported on the island for several years. There is a limited supply of safe water. Groundwater is brackish and is not generally considered safe for consumption. In 2009, all households on Funafuti were provided with large rain-water tanks through a project sponsored by the European Union, and this is expected to greatly reduce the incidence of waterborne disease. Malaria is the major public health problem in the country, other communicable disease concerns being tuberculosis; sexually transmitted infections; acute respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia; diarrhoeal diseases; viral hepatitis; typhoid fever; and measles. Millennium Development Goals indicators. Life expectancy at birth for males is 61.7 and females 65.1 years (2010). Total expenditure on health per capita $205 USD. Total expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP is 11.4% (2006) Source: World Health Organisation. Data on HIV rates in Tuvalu is not available. |
| Legislation | http://www.paclii.org/databases.html#TV |
| Related Websites | The World Factbook - Tuvalu UNICEF - Tuvalu World Health Organization - Tuvalu |