ificant age annually:

male: 222
female: 214 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues
Turks and Caicos Islands

Disputes - international:

have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US
and Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Tuvalu

Introduction
Tuvalu

Background:

In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert
and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to
vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands.
The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British
colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu
negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50
million in royalties over a 12-year period.

Geography
Tuvalu

Location:

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

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 26 sq km
land: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

24 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 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

Land use:

arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 66.67%
other: 33.33% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

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