Part 773

Area: total area: 26 sq km land area: 26 sq km comparative area: 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 lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m

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, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

People ------

Population: 10,146 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 36% (male 1,865; female 1,798) 15-64 years: 59% (male 2,831; female 3,162) 65 years and over: 5% (male 227; female 263) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.51% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 23.95 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 8.87 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female all ages: 0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 27.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.34 years male: 62.15 years female: 64.59 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Tuvaluan(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

Government ----------