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.
Head of state: King Juan Carlos I Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
Population
10,619
47,042,984
Life Expectancy
65.110 years
81.270 years
Capital City
Madrid
Largest city
Funafuti (population: 4,749)
Madrid (population: 3,117,980)
Human Development Index
0
0.949
GDP per capita
$31,000 US
Literacy Rate
%
97.9%
Corruption Perception Index
NA
6.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
0%
33.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Amancio Ortega ($18.3bn US)
Unemployment Rate
21.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy
parliamentary monarchy
Independence date
the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century A.D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain
Religions
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
Exports
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
External Debt
$2,570,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
18
Location
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Area
26 km sq
505,370 km sq
Coastline
24 km
4,964 km
Climate
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
