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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Oceania,
island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the
South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from
Hawaii to Australia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 00 S,
178 00 E |
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total:
26 sq km
land: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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0.1 times
the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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24 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical;
moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November);
westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) |
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Terrain:
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very
low-lying and narrow coral atolls |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA |
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Natural hazards:
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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 |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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11,636
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
24.45 years
male: 23.36 years
female: 25.85 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.47%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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21.91
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.22
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
20.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 68.01 years
male: 65.79 years
female: 70.33 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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3
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% |
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Religions:
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Church of
Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist
1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6% |
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Languages:
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Tuvaluan,
English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) |
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Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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Country name:
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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
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Government type:
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constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy;
began debating republic status in 1992 |
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Capital:
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Funafuti;
note - administrative offices are located in Vaiaku
Village on Fongafale Islet |
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Administrative divisions:
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none |
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Independence:
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1 October
1978 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 1 October (1978) |
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Constitution:
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1 October
1978 |
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Legal system:
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NA |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO
(since 15 April 2005)
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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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there are
no political parties but members of Parliament usually
align themselves in informal groupings |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none |
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International organization participation:
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ACP,
AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF,
Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US
does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to
Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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 income from
overseas investments. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$12.2
million (2000 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3% (2000
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
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Labor force:
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7,000
(2001 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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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) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5% (2000
est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $22.5 million
expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital
expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coconuts;
fish |
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Industries:
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fishing,
tourism, copra |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: NA
hydro: NA
nuclear: NA
other: NA |
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Exports:
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$1
million f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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copra,
fish |
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Exports - partners:
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Germany
56.5%, Fiji 14.3%, Italy 10.9%, UK 7.7%, Poland 4.9%
(2004) |
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Imports:
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$79
million c.i.f. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food,
animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
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Imports - partners:
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Fiji
50.2%, Japan 18.1%, Australia 9.6%, China 8%, New
Zealand 5.5% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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NA |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$13
million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and
the US (1999 est.) |
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Currency (code):
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Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan
dollar |
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Currency code:
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AUD |
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Exchange rates:
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Tuvaluan
dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598
(2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001),
1.7248 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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700
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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0 (2004)
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: serves particular needs for
internal communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between
islands
international: country code - 688; international
calls can be made by satellite |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM
1, shortwave 0 (2004) |
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Radios:
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4,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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0 (2004)
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Televisions:
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800 |
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Internet country code:
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.tv |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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1 (2000)
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Internet users:
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1,300
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
8 km
paved: 0 km
unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Funafuti
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Merchant marine:
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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) |
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Airports:
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1 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no
regular military forces; national police force |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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