severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low levels of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

fish, ships, computers, integrated circuits, nitrile compounds (2022)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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.)

$2.713 million (2022 est.)$14.533 million (2021 est.)$8.46 million (2020 est.)note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

agricultural land: 60% (2018 est.)arable land: 0% (2018 est.)permanent crops: 60% (2018 est.)permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)forest: 33.3% (2018 est.)other: 6.7% (2018 est.)

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

name: "Tuvalu mo te Atua" (Tuvalu for the Almighty)lyrics/music: Afaese MANOAnote: adopted 1978; the anthem's name is also the nation's motto

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improved: urban: 100% of populationrural: 100% of populationtotal: 100% of populationunimproved: urban: 0% of populationrural: 0% of populationtotal: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Tuvalupopulation

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

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)

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

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.)

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.)

Tuvalu flagmap

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, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

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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.)

Thailand 69%, Croatia 21%, Philippines 4%, South Korea 2%, Japan 1% (2022)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

Tuvalu flagredesign

Today Google has officially unveiled its full-color designs for Unicode's latest approved emojis, which include a smiley face with bags under its eyes...

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

China 34%, Japan 27%, Fiji 20%, NZ 5%, Australia 5% (2022)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Tuvalu flag1978

ships, refined petroleum, iron structures, engine parts, plastic products (2022)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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%

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

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revenues: $87 million (2019 est.)expenditures: $88 million (2019 est.)note: revenue data include Official Development Assistance from Australia

improved: urban: 91.8% of populationrural: 91% of populationtotal: 91.5% of populationunimproved: urban: 9.2% of populationrural: 9% of populationtotal: 8.5% of population (2017 est.)

Tuvalu FlagEmoji

0-14 years: 29.2% (male 1,754/female 1,672)15-64 years: 63.2% (male 3,736/female 3,675)65 years and over: 7.6% (2024 est.) (male 326/female 570)

electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)electrification - urban areas: 100%electrification - rural areas: 99.1%

chief of mission: Ambassador Tapugao FALEFOU (since 19 April 2023); note - also Permanent Representative to UNchancery: 685 Third Avenue, Suite 1104, New York, NY 10017telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534FAX: [1] (212) 808-4975email address and website: tuvalumission.un@gmail.comtuvalu.unmission@gov.tvhttps://www.un.int/tuvalu/aboutnote - the Tuvalu Permanent Mission to the UN serves as the Embassy

Tuvalupeople

conventional long form: noneconventional short form: Tuvalulocal long form: nonelocal short form: Tuvaluformer: Ellice Islandsetymology: "tuvalu" means "group of eight" or "eight standing together" referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands

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agricultural land: 60% (2018 est.)arable land: 0% (2018 est.)permanent crops: 60% (2018 est.)permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)forest: 33.3% (2018 est.)other: 6.7% (2018 est.)

citizenship by birth: yescitizenship by descent only: yes; for a child born abroad, at least one parent must be a citizen of Tuvaludual citizenship recognized: yesresidency requirement for naturalization: na

The Flag: Lebanon emoji is a flag sequence combining 🇱 Regional Indicator Symbol Letter L and 🇧 Regional Indicator Symbol Letter B. These display as a single emoji on supported platforms.

Tuvalu has a security pact with Australia; Australia also provides support to the Tuvalu Police Force, including donations of patrol boatsTuvalu has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Tuvalu's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2024)

4.82% of GDP (2023 est.)4.18% of GDP (2022 est.)4.9% of GDP (2021 est.)note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Tuvalu flag1996

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

Tuvalumap

Voyagers from either Samoa or Tonga first populated Tuvalu in the first millennium A.D., and the islands provided a stepping-stone for various Polynesian communities that subsequently settled in Melanesia and Micronesia. Tuvalu eventually came under Samoan and Tongan spheres of influence, although proximity to Micronesia allowed some Micronesian communities to flourish in Tuvalu, in particular on Nui Atoll. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, a series of American, British, Dutch, and Russian ships visited the islands, which were named the Ellice Islands in 1819. The UK declared a protectorate over islands in 1892 and merged them with the Micronesian Gilbert Islands. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate became a colony in 1916. During World War II, the US set up military bases on a few islands, and in 1943, after Japan captured many of the northern Gilbert Islands, the UK transferred administration of the colony southward to Funafuti. After the war, Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands was once again made the colony’s capital, and the center of power was firmly in the Gilbert Islands, including the colony’s only secondary school. Amid growing tensions with the Gilbertese, Tuvaluans voted to secede from the colony in 1974, were granted self-rule in 1975, and gained independence in 1978 as Tuvalu. In 1979, the US relinquished its claims to the Tuvaluan islands in a treaty of friendship.

coconuts, vegetables, tropical fruits, bananas, root vegetables, pork, chicken, eggs, pork fat, pork offal (2022)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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 appointmentsubordinate courts: magistrates' courts; island courts; land courts

$2.232 million (2022 est.)$2.745 million (2021 est.)$3.089 million (2020 est.)note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

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

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$57.388 million (2022 est.)$63.962 million (2021 est.)$56.947 million (2020 est.)note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

name: Funafuti; note - the capital is an atoll of some 29 islets; administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Isletgeographic coordinates: 8 31 S, 179 13 Etime 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

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

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 ministerelections/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 electionselection results: 2024: TEO was the only candidate nominated by the House of Assembly2019: Kausea NATANO elected prime minister by House of Assembly; House of Assembly vote - 10 to 6

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia

Protestant 92.7% (Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu 85.9%, Brethren 2.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.5%, Assemblies of God 1.5%), Baha'i 1.5%, Jehovah's Witness 1.5%, other 3.9%, none or refused 0.4% (2017 est.)

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -Exchange rates:1.505 (2023 est.)1.442 (2022 est.)1.331 (2021 est.)1.453 (2020 est.)1.439 (2019 est.)