Tuvalu definition

Tuvalu





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2 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Tuvalu
       n 1: a small island republic on the Tuvalu islands; formerly part
            of the British colony of Gilbert and Ellice Islands
            until it withdrew in 1975 and became independent of the
            United Kingdom in 1978
       2: a group of coral islands in Micronesia southwest of Hawaii


          [syn: {Ellice Islands}]

From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:

  Tuvalu
  
     Introduction Tuvalu
     -------------------
                              Background: 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.
    
     Geography Tuvalu
     ----------------
                                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
                          Map references: Oceania
                                    Area: total: 26 sq km
                                          water: 0 sq km
                                          land: 26 sq km
                      Area - comparative: 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
                         Land boundaries: 0 km
                               Coastline: 24 km
                         Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
                                          territorial sea: 12 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
                      Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
                                          highest point: unnamed location 5 m
                       Natural resources: fish
                                Land use: arable land: 0%
                                          permanent crops: 0%
                                          other: 100% (1998 est.)
                          Irrigated land: NA sq km
                         Natural hazards: 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
            Environment - current issues: 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
              Environment - international party to: Climate Change, Climate
                              agreements: Change-Kyoto Protocol,
                                          Desertification, Ozone Layer
                                          Protection, Ship Pollution
                                          signed, but not ratified:
                                          Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
                        Geography - note: 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
    
     People Tuvalu
     -------------
                              Population: 11,146 (July 2002 est.)
                           Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 1,851;
                                          female 1,785)
                                          15-64 years: 62.3% (male 3,335;
                                          female 3,607)
                                          65 years and over: 5.1% (male 233;
                                          female 335) (2002 est.)
                  Population growth rate: 1.4% (2002 est.)
                              Birth rate: 21.44 births/1,000 population (2002
                                          est.)
                              Death rate: 7.45 deaths/1,000 population (2002
                                          est.)
                      Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
                                          est.)
                               Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
                                          under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
                                          15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
                                          65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/
                                          female
                                          total population: 0.95 male(s)/
                                          female (2002 est.)
                   Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
                                          est.)
                Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.98 years
                                          female: 69.23 years (2002 est.)
                                          male: 64.83 years
                    Total fertility rate: 3.07 children born/woman (2002 est.)
        HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
       HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
                                    AIDS:
                       HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
                             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)
                                Literacy: definition: percentage of people
                                          over the age of 15 who can read and
                                          write
                                          total population: 55% (1996)
                                          male: NA%
                                          female: NA%
    
     Government Tuvalu
     -----------------
                            Country name: conventional long form: none
                                          conventional short form: Tuvalu
                                          note: "Tuvalu" means "group of
                                          eight," referring to the country's
                                          eight traditionally inhabited
                                          islands
                                          former: Ellice Islands
                         Government type: constitutional monarchy with a
                                          parliamentary democracy; began
                                          debating republic status in 1992
                                 Capital: Fongafale
                Administrative 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 Sir Tomasi
                                          PUAPUA, M.D. (since 26 June 1998)
                                          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 13 December 2001 (next to
                                          be held by August 2002)
                                          election results: Koloa TALAKE
                                          elected prime minister; percent of
                                          Parliament vote - 53%
                                          cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
                                          governor general on the
                                          recommendation of the prime minister
    
                                          head of government: Prime Minister
                                          Koloa TALAKE (since 13 December
                                          2001); TALAKE took over after Prime
                                          Minister Faimalaga LUKA was ousted
                                          in a vote of no-confidence
                      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
            Political pressure groups and none
                                 leaders:
               International organization ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IFRCS
                           participation: (associate), ITU, Sparteca, SPC,
                                          SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO,
                                          WTrO (applicant)
     Diplomatic representation in the US: 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
       Diplomatic representation from the the US does not have an embassy in
                                      US: Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is
                                          accredited to Tuvalu
                        Flag description: 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
    
     Economy Tuvalu
     --------------
                      Economy - overview: 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, with 1999
                                          payments from a 1988 treaty on
                                          fisheries at about $9 million, a
                                          total which is expected to rise
                                          annually. 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 raise GDP
                                          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 investment income
                                          from overseas assets.
                                     GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.2
                                          million (2000 est.)
                  GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
                        GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100
                                          (2000 est.)
             GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
                                          industry: NA%
                                          services: NA%
           Population below poverty line: NA%
       Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
                        percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
        Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (2000 est.)
                             Labor force: 7,000 (2001 est.)
             Labor force - by occupation: 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)
                       Unemployment rate: NA%
                                  Budget: revenues: $22.5 million
                                          expenditures: $11.2 million,
                                          including capital expenditures of
                                          $4.2 million (2000 est.)
                              Industries: fishing, tourism, copra
       Industrial production growth rate: NA%
      Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%
                                          hydro: NA%
                                          nuclear: NA%
                                          other: NA%
                  Agriculture - products: coconuts; fish
                                 Exports: $276,000 (f.o.b., 1997)
                   Exports - commodities: copra, fish
                      Exports - partners: Sweden, Fiji, Iceland, Germany,
                                          Greece (2000)
                                 Imports: $7.2 million (c.i.f., 1998)
                   Imports - commodities: food, animals, mineral fuels,
                                          machinery, manufactured goods
                      Imports - partners: Fiji, Australia, Portugal, NZ (2000)
                         Debt - external: $NA
                Economic aid - recipient: $13 million (1999 est.); note -
                                          major donors are Japan, Australia,
                                          and the US
                                Currency: Australian dollar (AUD); note -
                                          there is also a Tuvaluan dollar
                           Currency code: AUD
                          Exchange rates: Tuvaluan dollars or Australian
                                          dollars per US dollar - 1.9354
                                          (January 2002), 1.9320 (2001),
                                          1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888
                                          (1998), 1.3439 (1997)
                             Fiscal year: calendar year
    
     Communications Tuvalu
     ---------------------
            Telephones - main lines in use: 1,000 (1997)
              Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1994)
                          Telephone system: general assessment: serves
                                            particular needs for internal
                                            communications
                                            domestic: radiotelephone
                                            communications between islands
                                            international: NA
                  Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1999)
                                    Radios: 4,000 (1997)
             Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
                               Televisions: 800
                     Internet country code: .tv
         Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
                            Internet users: NA
    
     Transportation Tuvalu
     ---------------------
                                 Railways: 0 km
                                 Highways: total: 19.5 km
                                           paved: 0 km
                                           unpaved: 19.5 km (2002)
                                Waterways: none
                        Ports and harbors: Funafuti, Nukufetau
                          Merchant marine: total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
                                           totaling 31,021 GRT/52,198 DWT
                                           note: includes some foreign-owned
                                           ships registered here as a flag of
                                           convenience: Germany 5 (2002 est.)
                                           ships by type: cargo 3, passenger/
                                           cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1
                                 Airports: 1 (2001)
          Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
                                           1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)
    
     Military Tuvalu
     ---------------
                        Military branches: no regular military forces; Police
                                           Force (includes Maritime
                                           Surveillance Unit for search and
                                           rescue missions and surveillance
                                           operations)
            Military expenditures - dollar $NA
                                   figure:
        Military expenditures - percent of NA%
                                      GDP:
    
     Transnational Issues Tuvalu
     ---------------------------
                                                Disputes - international: none
    
                                         
  
  

















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