997, there were
three cyclones; low level of islands make them very 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 building materials; excessive
clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral
reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is
very concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions
and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's
underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to
Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels
should make evacuation necessary

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the
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

People Tuvalu

Population:
11,636 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.8% (male 1,823/female 1,756)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 3,620/female 3,847)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 229/female 361) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 24.45 years
male: 23.36 years
female: 25.85 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.47% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
21.91 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
7.22 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.01 years
male: 65.79 years
female: 70.33 year