Tuvalu

• tropical;
• moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November);
• westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

• one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth;
• six of the nine 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

noun:

Tuvaluan(s)

adjective:

Tuvaluan

total:

27.8 years (2024 est.)

male:

26.8 years

female:

28.8 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.57 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

27.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

31.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

24 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

69 years (2024 est.)

male:

66.5 years

female:

71.6 years

total:

0.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

35.6% (2020 est.)

male:

49.8% (2020 est.)

female:

21.3% (2020 est.)

women married by age 18:

1.8%

men married by age 18:

1.7% (2020 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• water needs met by catchment systems;
• the use of sand as a building material has led to beachhead erosion;
• deforestation;
• damage to coral reefs from increasing ocean temperatures and acidification;
• rising sea levels threaten water table;
• in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

• tropical;
• moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November);
• westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

urban population:

66.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

2.08% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

6.81 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

0.01 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.01 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

3,989 tons (2011 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

598 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

15% (2013 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Tuvalu

local long form:

none

local short form:

Tuvalu

former:

Ellice Islands

etymology:

"tuvalu" means "group of eight" or "eight standing together" referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands

name:

• Funafuti;
• note - the capital is an atoll of some 29 islets;
• administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet

geographic coordinates:

8 31 S, 179 13 E

time difference:

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

the atoll is named after a founding ancestor chief, Funa, from the island of Samoa

history:

previous 1978 (at independence); latest effective 1 October 1986

amendments:

• proposed by the House of Assembly;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership in the final reading;
• amended 2007, 2010, 2013, 2023

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes; for a child born abroad, at least one parent must be a citizen of Tuvalu

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

na

chief of state:

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Tofiga Vaevalu FALANI (since 29 August 2021)

head of government:

Prime Minister Feleti Penitala TEO (since 27 February 2024)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on recommendation of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• governor general appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the prime minister;
• prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from members of House of Assembly following parliamentary elections

election results:

2024: TEO was the only candidate nominated by the House of Assembly; 2019: Kausea NATANO elected prime minister by House of Assembly; House of Assembly vote - 10 to 6

description:

unicameral House of Assembly or Fale I Fono (16 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 26 January 2024 (next to be held in January 2028)

election results:

• percent of vote - NA;
• seats - independent 16;
• composition - 16 men, 0 women, percentage women 0%

highest court(s):

• Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and not less than 3 appeals judges);
• High Court (consists of the chief justice);
• appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Appeal judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet;
• judge tenure based on terms of appointment;
• High Court chief justice appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet;
• chief justice serves for life;
• other judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet after consultation with chief justice;
• judge tenure set by terms of appointment

subordinate courts:

• magistrates' courts;
• island courts;
• land courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Tapugao FALEFOU (since 19 April 2023); note - also Permanent Representative to UN

chancery:

685 Third Avenue, Suite 1104, New York, NY 10017

telephone:

[1] (212) 490-0534

FAX:

[1] (212) 808-4975

email address and website:

[email protected]; [email protected]; https://www.un.int/tuvalu/about; note - the Tuvalu Permanent Mission to the UN serves as the Embassy

• 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 on a blue field symbolizing the nine atolls in the ocean

name:

"Tuvalu mo te Atua" (Tuvalu for the Almighty)

lyrics/music:

Afaese MANOA

note: adopted 1978; the anthem's name is also the nation's motto

• upper middle-income Pacific island economy;
• extremely environmentally fragile;
• currency pegged to Australian dollar;
• large international aid recipient;
• subsistence agrarian sector;
• Te Kakeega sustainable development;
• domain name licensing incomes

agriculture:

15.9% (2015 est.)

industry:

7% (2015 est.)

services:

70% (2012 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

20.6% (2016)

male:

9.8%

female:

45.9%

production:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• provides fixed-line telephone communications to subscribers on each of the islands of Tuvalu;
• each island relies on the use of a satellite dish for inter-island telephone communication, internet access, and mobile phone services (2023)

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity is 18 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 80 per 100 (2021)

international:

country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite

• no TV stations;
• many households use satellite dishes to watch foreign TV stations;
• 1 government-owned radio station, Radio Tuvalu, includes relays of programming from international broadcasters (2019)

total ports:

1 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

0

very small:

1

ports with oil terminals:

1

key ports:

Funafuti Atoll