Pacific Magazine > 2007 Pacific Almanac
Tuvalu
The Basics
Population: 9,652 (SPC 2006)
Capital: Funafuti
Land Area: 10 sq. miles (26 sq. km)
Political Status and Form of Government: Independent, Westminster-style parliamentary democracy
Languages: Tuvaluan (a Polynesian dialect), I-Kiribati (Gilbertese), English
Currency: Australian dollar
Number of Islands: 9 atolls
The Numbers
Gross Domestic Product: US$20 million (2005 est.)
Gross Domestic Product per capita: US$2,000 (2005 est.)
Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 2.5% (2007 ADB)
National Budget: A$28.6 (US$25.06) million revenue, A$30.6 (US$26.29) million expenditure (2007 est. ADB)
Aid per capita: Overseas aid and contributions to the Tuvalu Trust Fund are essential to balance recurrent budget deficits. The fund, with an estimated value in the US$83 million range (est. 2006), was originally subscribed by the governments of the UK, Tuvalu, New Zealand and Australia. Returns from investments provide annually about 11 percent of revenue. ADB cites grants in 2004 at A$5.26 million.
Life Expectancy: Male: 68.63 years (2007 est.) Female:
Ethnicity: Polynesian
Nationality: Tuvaluans
Age Distribution:0-14 years: 29.8%, 15-64 years: 65.2%, 65+: 5% (2004 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 1.543% (2007 est.)
People in Power
Head of Government: Hon. Apisai Ielemia (Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs)
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II; Governor General HE Reverend Filoimea Telito
Cabinet Members: Tavau Teii, Deputy Prime Minister and Natural Resources; Willy Telavi, Home Affairs and Rural Development; Lotoala Metia, Finance and Economic Planning; Iakoba Italeli, Health, Education and Sports; Kamuta Latasi, Speaker of the House.
Representative Body: 15 members of Parliament. Some islands have two members; others have one, depending on the number of registered voters on each island.
Regional Organizations
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, FFA, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCPFC,
Media & Internet Service Providers
Radio: Radio Tuvalu is the only local radio station, broadcasts in English and Tuvaluan.
Newspaper: The government publishes the only newspaper, Tuvalu Echoes. It is available by subscription from the Tuvalu Media Corporation on Funafuti.
Telecommunications: Funafuti Atoll has a regular telephone service, and there are connections to all the outer islands through the Post Offices.
Television: Sky Pacific television services began operating in 2006.
ISP: The government operates the only ISP.
Recent News
The Asian Development Bank says projections of economic growth of 2-3 percent for 2007 and 2008 are driven mainly by donor-funded public investment projects.
While the Tuvalu Trust Fund continues to perform well, the country faces other economic challenges. Tuvalu has indicated it will actively pursue the possibility of sending its nationals—particularly those who once worked in Nauru’s phosphate industry— to work in Guam when the U.S. relocates its military base from Okinawa.
Tuvalu’s Electricity Corporation (TEC) heard the results of an independent review of its tariff structure in 2007, with suggestions it should introduce a prepaid billing system to offset some of the problems it faces from rising oil prices, enter into joint fuel procurement arrangements with its neighbors, and further develop local renewable energy resources.
There was controversy in 2007 when Tuvalu’s honorary consul to Britain claimed Tuvaluans are not seeing enough of the benefits from their internet domain name “.TV”. Dr. Iftikhar Ayaz says Tuvalu should drive a harder bargain. Income from the use of the “.tv” domain was projected at A$2.9 million in 2006.
Tuvalu was again prominent on the international stage in 2008 with neighbors such as New Zealand still debating the possibility of taking Tuvaluans in as environmental refugees as a result of sea level rise. Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister Tavau Teii told the United Nations that major greenhouse polluters should pay Tuvalu for the impacts of climate change, and that the funds could be raised from airfare levies and maritime freight charges. Teii also suggested the establishment of an international insurance mechanism to provide relief for countries and communities affected by the impacts of climate change.
Tuvalu became one of the newest members of the Olympic movement—gaining full membership—in 2007.
Airlines, Shippers Serving Countrys
Air: Air Fiji, Shipping: Pacific Forum Lines.
Main Government Contact
Office of the Prime Minister
Private Mail Bag, Vaiaku, Funafuti, Tuvalu
Ph: (688) 20100
Fax: (688) 20820
Sources and Tuvalu on the Web
Tuvalu Online
www.tuvaluislands.com
SPC statistics
www.spc.int/prism/country/tv/stats/
Pacific Islands Forum
www.forumsec.org.fj
Asian Development Bank
www.adb.org
CIA World Factbook
www.cia.gov/
Map courtesy South Pacific Handbook, David Stanley
Click map for larger image
