Compare Tuvalu (2004) - Christmas Island (2006)

Compare Tuvalu (2004) z Christmas Island (2006)

	Tuvalu (2004)	Christmas Island (2006)

Administrative divisions	none	none (territory of Australia)
Age structure	0-14 years: 31.3% (male 1,828; female 1,761) 15-64 years: 63.7% (male 3,530; female 3,770) 65 years and over: 5% (male 227; female 352) (2004 est.)	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	coconuts; fish	NA
Airports	1 (2003 est.)	1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)	-
Area	total: 26 sq km land: 26 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	0.1 times the size of Washington, DC	about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
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.	Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.
Birth rate	21.63 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	NA
Budget	revenues: $22.5 million expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Capital	Funafuti; note - administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet	name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 18 44 N, 64 19 W time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)	tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April)
Coastline	24 km	138.9 km
Constitution	1 October 1978	Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 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: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island
Currency	Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar	-
Death rate	7.24 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	NA
Debt - external	NA	-
Dependency status	-	non-self governing territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services
Diplomatic representation from the US	the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu	none (territory of Australia)
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	none (territory of Australia)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$13 million ; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.)	$NA
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.	Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future.
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 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	loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	-
Ethnic groups	Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)
Exchange rates	Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.5419, (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999)	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)
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 Maatia TOAFA (since 11 October 2004) 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 11 October 2004 (next to be held following parliamentary elections in 2006) election results: Saufatu SOPOANGA resigned parliamentary seat on 27 August 2004 following no-confidence vote on 25 August 2004; succeeded by Deputy Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA in an acting capacity on 27 August 2004; Maatia TOAFA confirmed Prime Minister in a Parliamentary election (8-7 vote) on 11 Ocotober 2004	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia
Exports	$1 million f.o.b. (2002)	$NA
Exports - commodities	copra, fish	phosphate
Exports - partners	UK 37.5%, Poland 19.1%, Philippines 9.2%, Australia 9.1%, Fiji 6.2% (2003)	Australia, NZ (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 July - 30 June
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	territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island; the flag of Australia is used for official purposes
GDP	purchasing power parity - $12.2 million NA (2000 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	3% (2000 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	8 00 S, 178 00 E	10 30 S, 105 40 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	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
Highways	total: 8 km paved: 0 km unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	-
Imports	$79 million c.i.f. (2002)	$NA
Imports - commodities	food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods	consumer goods
Imports - partners	Fiji 47.3%, Australia 13.9%, Poland 10.8%, Germany 10.2%, Japan 8%, New Zealand 6.2% (2003)	principally Australia (2004)
Independence	1 October 1978 (from UK)	none (territory of Australia)
Industrial production growth rate	NA	-
Industries	fishing, tourism, copra	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)
Infant mortality rate	total: 20.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	5% (2000 est.)	-
International organization participation	ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO	none
Irrigated land	NA sq km	NA
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)	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court
Labor force	7,000 (2001 est.)	NA
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)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)
Languages	Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)	English (official), Chinese, Malay
Legal system	NA	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law
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 Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 67.66 years male: 65.47 years female: 69.96 years (2004 est.)	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA	NA
Location	Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia
Map references	Oceania	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 54,993 GRT/86,048 DWT by type: cargo 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: Germany 4, Singapore 1, Thailand 1 (2004 est.)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of Australia
Military branches	no regular military forces; Police Force (includes Maritime Surveillance Unit for search and rescue missions and surveillance operations)	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 1 October (1978)	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Nationality	noun: Tuvaluan(s) adjective: Tuvaluan	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island
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	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Natural resources	fish	phosphate, beaches
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	NA
Political parties and leaders	there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	none
Population	11,468 (July 2004 est.)	1,493 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	-
Population growth rate	1.44% (2004 est.)	0% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors	Funafuti, Nukufetau	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1999)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)
Religions	Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)	NA
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: country code - 688	general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - one INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005)
Telephones - main lines in use	700 (2002)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	0 (1994)	NA
Television broadcast stations	0 (1997)	0; note - TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia (2006)
Terrain	very low-lying and narrow coral atolls	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Total fertility rate	3.02 children born/woman (2004 est.)	NA
Unemployment rate	NA	-

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