Tuvalu Travel Tips

Tuvalu, independent Commonwealth nation (2005 est. pop. 11,600), 10 sq mi (26 sq km), composed of nine low coral atolls, formerly known as the Ellice (or Lagoon) Islands, scattered over the W Pacific Ocean. The capital and largest city is Fongafale.

Subsistence farming and fishing are the mainstays of the economy, with copra the chief cash crop for export. The smallness and remoteness of the islands hinder the development of a tourist industry. The sale of postage stamps and coins accounts for the largest portion of the country's income. Other substantial income is received through a trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The population is primarily Polynesian and about 98% Protestant; most are members of the Church of Tuvalu, a Congregationalist denomination. The government consists of a governor-general representing the British crown, a prime minister and cabinet, and a unicameral elected parliament.

The Spanish were the first Europeans to see the islands in the 1500s. However, in 1819 an American ship captain, De Peyster, named the main island in the group Ellice's Island after a British politician who owned the cargo aboard his ship. In 1841, the U.S. Exploring Expedition commanded by Charles Wilkes visited three of Tuvalu's islands and welcomed visitors to his ships. Other early interactions with the outside world were far less benign--in 1863, hundreds of people from the southern islands were kidnapped when they were lured them aboard slave ships with promises that they would be taught about Christianity. Those islanders were forced to work under horrific conditions in the guano mines of Peru.

Eventually, the islands came under Britain's sphere of influence as the Pacific was divided up in the late 19th century. The Ellice Islands were administered by Britain as part of a protectorate (1892-1916) and as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (1916-74).

During World War II, several thousand American troops were in the islands. Beginning in October 1942, U.S. forces built airbases on the islands of Funafuti, Nanumea, and Nukufetau. Friendly cooperation was the hallmark of relations between the local people and the troops, mainly U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy SeaBees. The airstrip in the capital of Funafuti, originally built by the U.S. during the war, is still in use, as is the "American Passage" that was blasted through Nanumea's reef by SeaBees assisted by local divers.

In 1974 the Ellice Islanders voted for separate British dependency status as Tuvalu, separating from the Gilbert Islands which became Kiribati upon independence. Tuvalu became fully independent in 1978 and in 1979 signed a treaty of friendship with the United States, which recognized Tuvalu's possession of four small islands formerly claimed by the United States.

Location:	Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Coordinates:	8 00 S, 178 00 E
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
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
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

Population:	11,810 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,819/female 1,752) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 3,715/female 3,923) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 228/female 373)
Median age:	24.6 years
Growth rate:	1.51%
Infant mortality:	19.47 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 68.32 years male: 66.08 years female: 70.66 years
Fertility rate:	2.98 children born/woman
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)

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 remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad. About 1,000 Tuvaluans are being repatriated from Nauru, with the decline of phosphate resources there. 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%. Tuvalu derives around $1.5 million per year from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. 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.

GDP:	Purchasing power parity - $12.2 million (2000 est.)
GDP growth rate:	3% (2000 est.)
GDP per capita:	Purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)
Inflation rate:	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)
Budget:	Revenues: $22.5 million expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)
Industries:	Fishing, tourism, copra
Agriculture:	Coconuts; fish
Exports:	Copra, fish
Export partners:	Italy 54.1%, Fiji 19.5%, Finland 7.3%, Ghana 4.1% (2005)
Imports:	Food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
Import partners:	Fiji 47%, Japan 18.4%, China 17.7%, Australia 8.9%, NZ 4.8% (2005)
Currency:	Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar
Communications:	Telephones: main lines in use: 1,000 (1997); mobile cellular: 0 (1994) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1999) Radios: 4,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997) Televisions: 800. Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000). Internet users: n.a.
Transportation:	Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 8 km (1999 est.); paved: 0 km; unpaved: 8 km. Ports and harbors: Funafuti, Nukufetau. Airports: 1 (2002).
International disputes:	International disputes: none.

Country name:	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:	Funafuti; note - administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet
Independence:	1 October 1978 (from UK)
National holiday:	Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
Constitution:	1 October 1978
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II, represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO head of government: Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA 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 Parliamen
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)
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)