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Tuvalu

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Countries; Geography of
Oceania (Australasia)

                            Tuvalu

   Flag of Tuvalu Coat of arms of Tuvalu
   Flag           Coat of arms
   Motto: Tuvalu mo te Atua
   (English: "Tuvalu for the Almighty")
   Anthem: Tuvalu mo te Atua
   (English: "Tuvalu for the Almighty")
   Royal anthem: God Save the Queen
   Location of Tuvalu
          Capital
                         Vaiaku (village; Gov.),
                         Fongafale (islet), Funafuti (atoll)
                         8°31′S 179°13′E
    Official languages   Tuvaluan, English
   Government            Constitutional monarchy
    - Queen              Elizabeth II
    - Governor           Filoimea Telito
    - Prime Minister     Apisai Ielemia
         Autonomy
    - from the UK        1 October 1978
                             Area
    - Total              26 km² ( 227th)
                         10 sq mi
    - Water (%)          negligible
                          Population
    - July 2005 estimate 10,441 ( 222nd)
    - Density            441/km² ( 22nd)
                         1,142/sq mi
        GDP ( PPP)       2001 estimate
    - Total              $12.2 million ( 228th)
    - Per capita         $1,100 (2000 est.) ( unranked)
        HDI  (2003)      n/a (unranked) ( n/a)
         Currency        Tuvaluan dollar
                         Australian dollar ( AUD)
         Time zone       ( UTC+12)
       Internet TLD      .tv
       Calling code      +688

   Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island
   nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and
   Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Samoa and Fiji.
   Comprising 4 reef islands and 5 true atolls, with a total land area of
   just 26 square kilometers (10  sq mi), it is the second-least populated
   independent country in the world, Vatican City being the smallest. It
   is the smallest member by population of the United Nations.

   The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesian people. The islands
   came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century. The
   Ellice Islands were administered by Britain as part of a protectorate
   from 1892 to 1916 and as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony
   from 1916 to 1974. In 1974 the Ellice Islanders voted for separate
   British dependency status as Tuvalu, separating from the Gilbert
   Islands which became Kiribati upon independence. Tuvalu became fully
   independent in 1978.

   Due to their low elevation, the islands that make up this nation are
   threatened by any future sea level rise. The population may evacuate
   during the next decades to New Zealand, Niue or the Fijian island of
   Kioa.

History

   Tuvaluan man in traditional costume drawn by Alfred Agate in 1841
   during the United States Navy Exploring Expedition.
   Enlarge
   Tuvaluan man in traditional costume drawn by Alfred Agate in 1841
   during the United States Navy Exploring Expedition.

   Tuvaluans are a Polynesian people who settled the islands around 2000
   years ago coming from Tonga and Samoa. During pre-contact times, there
   was frequent canoe voyaging between the nearer islands. 8 of the 9
   islands of Tuvalu were inhabited, thus, the name Tuvalu means "eight
   standing together" in the Tuvaluan language.

   Tuvalu was first sighted by Europeans in 1568 with the arrival of
   Alvaro de Mendaña y Neyra from Spain, who encountered the island of Nui
   but was unable to land. No other Europeans turned up again until the
   late 1700s, when further European explorers reached the area. By the
   early 1800s, whalers were in the Pacific, though visiting Tuvalu only
   infrequently due to the difficulties of landing ships on the atoll, and
   no settlements were established by them. Peruvian slave raiders ("
   blackbirders") combed the Pacific between 1862 and 1864 and Tuvalu was
   one of the hardest hit Pacific island groups with over 400 people taken
   from Funafuti and Nukulaelae, none of whom returned. In 1865, the
   London Missionary Society, Protestant congregationalists, began their
   process of evangelization of Tuvalu, and conversion to Christianity was
   complete by the 1920s. Also in the late 1800s, European traders began
   to live on the islands hoping to profit from local resources.

   In 1892, the islands became part of the British protectorate known as
   the Ellice Islands. The protectorate was incorporated into the Gilbert
   and Ellice Islands Colony in 1916. In 1943 during World War II, Tuvalu
   was selected as an operations base for Allied forces battling Japanese
   in the Pacific. Thousands of marines were stationed there until
   December 1945. In 1974, ethnic differences within the colony caused the
   Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the
   Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands (later Kiribati). The following
   year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu.
   Independence was granted in 1978. Tuvalu Independence Day is celebrated
   on October 1st. In 1979 Tuvalu signed a treaty of friendship with the
   United States, which recognized Tuvalu's possession of four small
   islands formerly claimed by the United States.

   As low lying islands lacking a surrounding shallow shelf, the island
   communities of Tuvalu are especially susceptible to changes in sea
   level and storm patterns that hit the island undissipated. The extent
   and causes of sea level change are disputed, however it is estimated
   that a sea level rise of 20-40 centimetres (8-16  in) in the next 100
   years could make Tuvalu uninhabitable. The South Pacific Applied
   Geoscience Commission suggest that while Tuvalu is vulnerable to
   climate change, there are additional environmental problems such as
   population growth and poor coastal management, which are affecting
   sustainable development on the island, they rank the country as
   extremely vulnerable using the Environmental Vulnerability Index. While
   some commentators have called for the relocation of the population of
   Tuvalu to Australia, New Zealand or Kioa (Fiji), the current Prime
   Minister Maatia Toafa says his government does not regard rising sea
   levels as such a threat that the entire population would need to be
   evacuated. New Zealand has agreed to accept an annual quota of 75
   evacuees.

Politics

   Tuvalu is a constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth Realm, with Queen
   Elizabeth II recognised as Queen of Tuvalu. She is represented in
   Tuvalu by a Governor-General, who is appointed upon the advice of the
   Prime Minister. The local unicameral parliament, or Fale I Fono, has 15
   members and is elected every four years. Its members elect a Prime
   Minister who is the head of government. The Cabinet is appointed by the
   Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Some elders also
   exercise informal authority on a local level. There are no formal
   political parties and election campaigns are largely on the basis of
   personal/family ties and reputation.

   The highest court in Tuvalu is the High Court, there are eight Island
   Courts with limited jurisdiction. Rulings from the High Court can be
   appealed to the Court of Appeal in Fiji.

   Tuvalu has no regular military forces, and spends no money on the
   military. Its police force includes a Maritime Surveillance Unit for
   search and rescue missions and surveillance operations. The police have
   a Pacific-class patrol boat (Te Mataili) provided by Australia under
   the Pacific Patrol Boat Program for use in maritime surveillance and
   fishery patrol.

Districts

   Map of Tuvalu
   Enlarge
   Map of Tuvalu

   Tuvalu's small population is distributed across 9 islands, 5 of which
   are atolls. The smallest island, Niulakita, was uninhabited until it
   was resettled by people from Niutao in 1949.

   Local government districts consisting of more than one island:
     * Funafuti
     * Nanumea
     * Nui
     * Nukufetau
     * Nukulaelae
     * Vaitupu

   Local government districts consisting of only one island:
     * Nanumaga
     * Niulakita
     * Niutao

Foreign relations

   Tuvalu maintains close relations with Fiji and Australia. It has
   diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan); Taipei
   maintains the only resident embassy in Tuvalu and has a large
   assistance program in the islands.

   Tuvalu became a member of United Nations in 2000 and maintains a
   mission at the UN in New York. A major international priority for
   Tuvalu in the UN, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
   Johannesburg and in other international fora is promoting concern about
   global warming and possible sea level rise. Tuvalu advocates
   ratification and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. It also is a
   member of the Asian Development Bank.

   Tuvalu is a party to a treaty of friendship with the United States,
   signed soon after independence and ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1983,
   under which the United States renounced prior territorial claims to
   four Tuvaluan islands under the Guano Act.

Geography

   Tuvalu consists of four reef islands and five true atolls. Its small,
   scattered group of atolls has poor soil and a total land area of only
   about 26 square kilometres (less than 10 sq. mi.) making it the fourth
   smallest country in the world. The land is very low lying with narrow
   coral atolls. The highest elevation is five meters (16 ft) above the
   sea level. Funafuti is the largest atoll of the nine low reef islands
   and atolls that form the Tuvalu volcanic island chain. It comprises
   numerous islets around a central lagoon that is approximately 25.1
   kilometres (15.6  mi) (N-S) by 18.4 kilometres (11.4 mi) (W-E), centred
   on 179°7’E and 8°30’S. An annular reef rim surrounds the lagoon, with
   several natural reef channels.

   Tuvalu has very poor land and the soil is hardly usable for agriculture
   There is almost no reliable supply of potable water.

   Tuvalu has westerly gales and heavy rain from November to March and
   tropical temperatures moderated by easterly winds from March to
   November.

Economy

   Tuvalu has almost no natural resources, and its main form of income
   consists of foreign aid. Virtually the only jobs in the islands that
   pay a steady wage or salary are with the government. Subsistence
   farming and fishing remain the primary economic activities,
   particularly off the capital island of Funafuti. Government revenues
   largely come from the sale of stamps and coins, fishing licences and
   worker remittances.

   About 800 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry or
   aboard foreign ships as sailors. Substantial income is received
   annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by
   Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and supported also by
   Japan and South Korea. This fund grew 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 from the sale of its " .tv" Internet domain name. In
   2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name "
   .tv" for $50 million in royalties. However, the Canadian entrepreneur
   who negotiated the deal, Jason Chapnik, was unable to raise the $50
   million in the contracted time period, and the contract eventually fell
   into other hands.

   Due to its remoteness, tourism does not provide much income; only a
   handful of tourists visit Tuvalu annually. Almost all visitors are
   government officials, aid workers, non-governmental organization
   officials or consultants.

Demographics

   The island population has more than doubled since 1980 and was
   estimated to reach 11,810 in July 2006. The population of Tuvalu is
   primarily of Polynesian ethnicity, about 4% of the population in
   Micronesian. About 97% of the Tuvaluans are members of the Church of
   Tuvalu, a Protestant Christian church. The religion has been mixed with
   some elements of the indigenous religions. Other religions practiced on
   the island include Seventh-Day Adventist (1.4%) and Baha'i (1%).

   The Tuvaluan language is spoken by virtually everyone, while Gilbertese
   is spoken by some people on Nui. English is also an official language,
   but is not spoken in daily use.

Culture

   The traditional community system still to a large extent survives on
   Tuvalu. Each family has its own task, or salanga, to perform for the
   community, such as fishing, house building or defence. The skills of a
   family are passed on from father to son.

   A traditional sport played in Tuvalu is kilikiti, which is similar to
   cricket.

   Traditional music prior to European contact included poems performed in
   a sort of monotonal recitation, though this tradition has since become
   extinct , as well as work songs which the women performed to encourage
   the men while they worked.

   The most famous form of Tuvaluan dance music, fatele, is influenced by
   European melody and harmony and is competitive, with each island
   divided into two sides .

   The two primary traditional dances of Tuvalu are the fakanu and
   fakaseasea. Of these, the fakanu has since died out, though the
   fakaseasea lives on, performed only by elders .
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu"
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