Demographics
By population, Tuvalu is the smallest member of the United Nations. The population has more than doubled since 1980 and was estimated to reach 9652 in 2006. About 33.9% are in the 0-14 year age group, 57.3% in the 15-64 year age group and 8.5% are 60 years or older. The median age is 24 years. The population growth rate is estimated at 0.1% (2006-2010), and the crude birth rate was 27.1 per 1000 population in 2002.
The population is primarily of Polynesian ethnicity, with about 4% Micronesian. Life expectancy at birth is 65 years for both sexes: 64 years for males and 67 years for female in 2002.
The Tuvaluan language is spoken by virtually everyone, while a language very similar to Gilbertese is spoken on Nui. English is also an official language, but is not spoken in daily use. Parliamentary and official functions are conducted in Tuvaluan.
Political situation
The islands came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century. 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 within the Commonwealth in 1978.
Tuvalu is a constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth Realm, with Queen Elizabeth II recognized as Queen of Tuvalu. She is represented in Tuvalu by a Governor General, who is appointed upon the advice of the Prime Minister. The local unicameral parliament, or Fale I Fono, has 15 members and is elected every four years. The members elect a Prime Minister, who is the head of government. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Some elders also exercise informal authority on a local level. There are no formal political parties and election campaigns are largely on the basis of personal/family ties and reputation.
The highest court in Tuvalu is the High Court. There are also eight Island Courts with limited jurisdiction. Rulings from the High Court can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in Fiji.
Tuvalu has no regular military force and spends no money on defense. The police force includes the Maritime Surveillance Unit for search and rescue missions and surveillance operations. The police have a Pacific-class patrol boat (Te Mataili), provided by Australia under the Pacific Patrol Boat Program, for use in maritime surveillance and fishery patrol.
Socioeconomic situation
Tuvalu has almost no natural resources, its main source of income being foreign aid. Virtually the only jobs in the islands that pay a steady wage or salary are with the Government. Subsistence farming and fishing remain the primary economic activities, particularly off the capital island of Funafuti. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins, issuing of fishing licenses and worker remittances.
The traditional community system still survives to a large extent. Each family has its own task, or salanga, to perform for the community, such as fishing, house-building or defense. The skills of a family are passed on from father to son.
About 800 Tuvaluans previously worked in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry or aboard foreign ships as sailors. When phosphate mining ceased in Nauru, 378 Tuvaluans were stranded in the country until they were repatriated in 2006 by a joint programme in which Australia, New Zealand and the European Union paid most of the cost of their return passage, and Taiwan (China) paid the back wages they were owed. Substantial income is received annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and also supported by Japan and the Republic of Korea. This fund grew from an initial US$ 17 million to over US$ 35 million in 1999. The United States Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu, with 1999 payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries valued at about US$ 9 million, a total that is expected to rise annually. In an effort to reduce the country’s 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 from the sale of its ‘.tv’ Internet domain name. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ‘.tv’ for US$ 50 million in royalties. However, the Canadian entrepreneur who negotiated the deal was unable to raise the US$ 50 million in the contracted time period, and the contract eventually fell into other hands.
Due to its remoteness, tourism does not provide much income, with only a handful of tourists visiting the country annually. Almost all visitors are government officials, aid workers, officials of nongovernmental organizations or consultants.
Vulnerabilities and hazards
In terms of physical land size, Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world. The land is very low-lying, with narrow coral atolls, and the highest elevation is only five metres (16 ft) above sea level. Because of this low elevation, the islands that make up this nation may be threatened by any future rise in sea levels due to global warming. Under such circumstances, the population may evacuate to New Zealand, Niue or the Fijian island of Kioa.
Tuvalu has very poor land and the soil is hardly usable for agriculture. There is almost no reliable supply of drinking water.
The country has westerly gales and heavy rain from November to March and tropical temperatures moderated by easterly winds from March to November.