Area:
total area: 26 sq km
land area: 26 sq km
comparative area: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 24 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

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

Natural resources: fish

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
note: Tuvalu's nine coral atolls have enough soil to grow coconuts and
support subsistence agriculture

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater
is not potable, all water needs must be met by catchment systems with
storage facilities; 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
natural hazards: severe tropical storms are rare
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

@Tuvalu:People

Population: 9,991 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (female 1,787; male 1,852)
15-64 years: 59% (female 3,105; male 2,764)
65 years and over: 5% (female 258; male 225) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.58% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 24.82 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 9.01 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 27.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.15 years
male: 61.87 years
female: 64.34 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Tuvaluans(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan

Ethnic divisions: Polynesian 96%

Religions: Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day
Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%

Languages: Tuvaluan, English

Literacy: NA%

Labor force: NA
by occupation: NA

@Tuvalu:Government

Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu