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Compare Tuvalu (2003) - Estonia (2005)

Compare Tuvalu (2003) z Estonia (2005)

 Tuvalu (2003)Estonia (2005)
 TuvaluEstonia
Administrative divisions none 15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)


note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Age structure 0-14 years: 31.9% (male 1,838; female 1,772)


15-64 years: 63% (male 3,432; female 3,687)


65 years and over: 5.1% (male 231; female 345) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 15.5% (male 106,300/female 100,446)


15-64 years: 67.7% (male 429,843/female 472,034)


65 years and over: 16.8% (male 74,037/female 150,233) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products coconuts; fish potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish
Airports 1 (2002) 29 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways - total: 14


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 15


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)
Area total: 26 sq km


land: 26 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 45,226 sq km


land: 43,211 sq km


water: 2,015 sq km


note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Area - comparative 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
Background In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over the next dozen years. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Birth rate 21.58 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 9.91 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $22.5 million


expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)
revenues: $4.622 billion


expenditures: $4.601 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Funafuti Tallinn
Climate tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Coastline 24 km 3,794 km
Constitution 1 October 1978 adopted 28 June 1992
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Tuvalu


former: Ellice Islands


note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia


conventional short form: Estonia


local long form: Eesti Vabariik


local short form: Eesti


former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar -
Death rate 7.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 13.21 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $NA $8.373 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu chief of mission: Ambassador Aldona Zofia WOS


embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [372] 668-8100


FAX: [372] 668-8134
Diplomatic representation in the US Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, New York 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534 chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK


chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101


FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108


consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international none in 1996, the Estonia-Russia technical border agreement was initialed but both states have been hesitant to sign and ratify it, with Russia asserting that Estonia needs to better assimilate Russian-speakers and Estonian groups pressing for realignment of the boundary based more closely on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules
Economic aid - recipient $13 million ; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.) $108 million (2000)
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. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. 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. 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. Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals, this Fund has grown from an initial $17 million to over $35 million in 1999. The US government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu, because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. 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%. In 1998, Tuvalu began deriving revenue from use of its area code for "900" lines and in 2000, from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new technology sources could increase substantially over the next decade. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and investment income from overseas assets. Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization and the European Union, has transitioned effectively to a modern market economy with strong ties to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The current account deficit remains high; however, the state budget enjoyed a surplus of $130 million in 2003.
Electricity - consumption - 6.358 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports - 1.562 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports - 200 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production - 8.301 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: NA%


hydro: NA%


nuclear: NA%


other: NA%
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location 5 m
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
Environment - current issues since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant and plans to build one other); 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; Tuvalu is very concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations
Environment - international agreements party to: Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)
Exchange rates Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.8406 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998) krooni per US dollar - 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003), 16.612 (2002), 17.478 (2001), 16.969 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Faimalaga LUKA (since 9 September 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister Saufatu SOPOANGA (since 2 August 2002)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister


elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last held 2 August 2002 (next to be held NA)


election results: Saufatu SOPOANGA elected prime minister; Parliamentary vote - Saufatu SOPOANGA 8, Amasone KILEI 7
chief of state: President Arnold RUUTEL (since 8 October 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament


elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 21 September 2001 (next to be held in the fall of 2006); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament


election results: Arnold RUUTEL elected president on 21 September 2001 by a 367-member electoral assembly that convened following Parliament's failure in August to elect then-President MERI's successor; on the second ballot of voting, RUUTEL received 186 votes to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155; the remaining 26 ballots were either left blank or invalid
Exports $276,000 f.o.b. (1997) NA
Exports - commodities copra, fish machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)
Exports - partners UK 58.3%, Italy 16.7%, Denmark 8.3%, Fiji 8.3% (2002) Finland 23.1%, Sweden 15.3%, Germany 8.4%, Latvia 7.9%, Russia 5.7%, Lithuania 4.4% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
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 pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
GDP purchasing power parity - $12.2 million (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture: 4.1%


industry: 28.9%


services: 67% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $14,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2000 est.) 6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 00 S, 178 00 E 59 00 N, 26 00 E
Geography - note one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
Highways total: 8 km


paved: 0 km


unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.)
total: 55,944 km


paved: 13,874 km (including 99 km of expressways)


unpaved: 42,070 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 29.8% (1998)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds
Imports $7.2 million c.i.f. (1998) NA
Imports - commodities food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)
Imports - partners Hungary 68.2%, Japan 12.9%, Fiji 11.9% (2002) Finland 22.1%, Germany 12.9%, Sweden 9.7%, Russia 9.2%, Lithuania 5.3%, Latvia 4.7% (2004)
Independence 1 October 1978 (from UK) 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 5% (2000 est.)
Industries fishing, tourism, copra engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate total: 21.34 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 24.35 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 9.06 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5% (2000 est.) 3% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IFRCS (associate), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant) Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land NA sq km 40 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction) National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
Labor force 7,000 (2001 est.) 660,000 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors) agriculture 11%, industry 20%, services 69% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 633 km


border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
arable land: 16.04%


permanent crops: 0.45%


other: 83.51% (2001)
Languages Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
Legal system NA based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 25 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%; seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica 28, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party Moodukad 6
Life expectancy at birth total population: 67.32 years


male: 65.15 years


female: 69.59 years (2003 est.)
total population: 71.77 years


male: 66.28 years


female: 77.6 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: NA%


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.8%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Location Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Map references Oceania Europe
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states
Merchant marine total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 33,199 GRT/56,187 DWT


ships by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 5 (2002 est.)
total: 43 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 212,998 GRT/177,488 DWT


by type: cargo 17, passenger/cargo 20, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 6 (Norway 6)


registered in other countries: 51 (2005)
Military branches no regular military forces; Police Force (includes Maritime Surveillance Unit for search and rescue missions and surveillance operations) Estonian Defense Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense Staff, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), Maritime Border Guard, Coast Guard


note: Border Guards and Ministry of Internal Affairs become part of the Estonian Defense Forces in wartime; the Coast Guard is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense in peacetime and the Estonian Navy in wartime
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $155 million (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 2% (2002 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 1 October (1978) Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 is the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Nationality noun: Tuvaluan(s)


adjective: Tuvaluan
noun: Estonian(s)


adjective: Estonian
Natural hazards severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
Natural resources fish oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -3.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 859 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN, chairman]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG, chairman]; Pro Patria Union (Isamaaliit) [Tunne KELAM, chairman]; Res Publica [Juhan PARTS, chairman]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR, chairman]; Social Liberals (group of 8 parliamentarians, former Center Party members) [Peeter Kreitzberg]
Political pressure groups and leaders none NA
Population 11,305 (July 2003 est.) 1,332,893 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA (2000)
Population growth rate 1.42% (2003 est.) -0.65% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Funafuti, Nukufetau Kopli, Kuivastu, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1999) AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)
Railways 0 km total: 958 km


broad gauge: 958 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified) (2004)
Religions Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6% Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female


total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Telephone system general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications


domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands


international: NA
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are available throughout most of the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by September 2000


domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services is available throughout the country


international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)
Telephones - main lines in use 1,000 (1997) 475,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1994) 881,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 0 (1997) 3 (2001)
Terrain very low-lying and narrow coral atolls marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Total fertility rate 3.05 children born/woman (2003 est.) 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 9.6% (2004 est.)
Waterways none 500 km (2003)
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