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.
President: Desire "Desi" Bouterse
Population
10,619
560,157
Life Expectancy
65.110 years
71.120 years
Capital City
Paramaribo
Largest city
Funafuti (population: 4,749)
Paramaribo (population: 223,757)
Human Development Index
0
0.77
GDP per capita
$9,600 US
Literacy Rate
%
89.6%
Corruption Perception Index
NA
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
0%
25.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
9.000%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished in practice
Political System
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy
constitutional democracy
Independence date
25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)
Religions
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%
Languages
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
Exports
alumina, gold, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas
External Debt
$504,300,000 US
Exchange Rate
Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar - 2.745 (2007), 2.745 (2006), 2.7317 (2005), 2.7336 (2004), 2.6013 (2003) note: in January 2004, the government replaced the guilder with the Surinamese dollar, tied to a US dollar-dominated currency basket
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana
Area
26 km sq
163,820 km sq
Coastline
24 km
386 km
Climate
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
