Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction)

Political parties and leaders: there are no political parties but
members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings

Political pressure groups and leaders: none

International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IFRCS
(associate), Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: Tuvalu does not have an embassy
in the US

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

Flag description: 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 symbolizing the nine
islands

Tuvalu Economy

Economy - overview: 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. Government revenues
largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker
remittances. About 1,000 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate
mining industry. Nauru has begun repatriating Tuvaluans, however, as
phosphate resources decline. 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, with 1999
payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries at about $9 million, a
total which is expected to rise annually. 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%. In 1998, Tuvalu began deriving revenue
from use of its area code for "900" lines and in 2000, from the sale
of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new
technology sources could raise GDP three or more times over the next
decade. In 1999, with merchandise exports falling and financing
reaching less than 5% of imports, continued reliance was placed on
fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from