Judicial branch: eight Island Courts; High Court; note-a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over sessions of the High Court
Political parties and leaders: there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings
International organization participation: AsDB, C (special), ESCAP,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU,
WHO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu
Flag description: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands
@Tuvalu:Economy
Economy-overview: Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. The islands are too small and too remote for development of a large-scale tourist industry. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker remittances. About 1,000 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry. Nauru has begun repatriating Tuvaluans, however, as phosphate resources decline, which will present additional problems for Tuvalu's already stretched economy. Substantial income is received annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. 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%. Low-lying Tuvalu is particularly vulnerable to any future global warming.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$7.8 million (1995 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 8.7% (1995)