Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor Prime minister: Willy Telavi Tuvalu has no political parties. Allegiances revolve around personalities and geography. The 15-member parliament is popularly elected every four years. The prime minister is chosen by MPs.
Population
42,192,494
10,619
Life Expectancy
77.140 years
65.110 years
Capital City
Buenos Aires
Largest city
Buenos Aires (population: 13,076,300)
Funafuti (population: 4,749)
Human Development Index
0.86
0
GDP per capita
$17,700 US
Literacy Rate
97.2%
%
Corruption Perception Index
2.9
NA
Percentage of Women in Parliament
39.8%
0%
Wealthiest Citizens
Gregorio Perez Companc & family ($1.8bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
7.200%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
republic
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy
Independence date
9 July 1816 (from Spain)
Religions
nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Languages
Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Exports
soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat
External Debt
$136,800,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
Argentine pesos (ARS) per US dollar - 3.1636 (2008 est.), 3.1105 (2007), 3.0543 (2006), 2.9037 (2005), 2.9233 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
6
0
Location
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Area
2,780,400 km sq
26 km sq
Coastline
4,989 km
24 km
Climate
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
