Tuvalu (2006) | Monaco (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | none | none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,819/female 1,752)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 3,715/female 3,923) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 228/female 373) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 15.5% (male 2,554; female 2,453)
15-64 years: 62.1% (male 9,860; female 10,165) 65 years and over: 22.4% (male 2,959; female 4,279) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coconuts; fish | none |
Airports | 1 (2006) | none; linked to the airport at Nice, France by helicopter service (2003) (2003 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
- |
Area | total: 26 sq km
land: 26 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1.95 sq km
land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC | about three times the size of The Mall in 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 a 12-year period. | Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. |
Birth rate | 22.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 9.36 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $22.78 million
expenditures: $14.23 million; including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $518 million
expenditures: $531 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1995) |
Capital | name: Funafuti
geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet |
Monaco |
Climate | tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) | Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers |
Coastline | 24 km | 4.1 km |
Constitution | 1 October 1978 | 17 December 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu local long form: none local short form: Tuvalu former: Ellice Islands note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands |
conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco |
Currency | - | euro (EUR) |
Death rate | 7.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 12.74 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | NA (2000 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu | the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) is accredited to Monaco |
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, NY 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534 | Monaco does not have an embassy in the US
consulate(s) general: New York |
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 remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad. About 1,000 Tuvaluans are being repatriated from Nauru, with the decline of phosphate resources there. 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%. Tuvalu derives around $1.5 million per year from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. 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 income from overseas investments. | Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbor. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas. Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates below are extremely rough. |
Electricity - consumption | - | NA kWh |
Electricity - imports | - | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Agel 140 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 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 | NA |
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 |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% | French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% |
Exchange rates | Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | euros per US dollar - 0.8860 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA (since 14 August 2006) 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 14 August 2006 (next to be held following parliamentary elections in 2010) election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected Prime Minister in a Parliamentary election on 14 August 2006 |
chief of state: Prince RAINIER III (since 9 May 1949); Heir Apparent Prince ALBERT Alexandre Louis Pierre, son of the monarch (born 14 March 1958)
head of government: Minister of State Patrick LECLERCQ (since 5 January 2000) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government |
Exports | $1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) | $NA; full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France |
Exports - commodities | copra, fish | - |
Exports - partners | Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2005) | - |
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 | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $870 million (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 16.6% NA%
industry: 27.2% NA% services: 56.2% NA% |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $27,000 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 1.2% (2002 est.) | NA (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 8 00 S, 178 00 E | 43 44 N, 7 24 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 | second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban |
Heliports | - | 1 (shuttle service between the international airport at Nice, France, and Monaco's heliport at Fontvieille) (2003 est.) |
Highways | - | total: 50 km
paved: 50 km unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | $9.186 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) | $NA; full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France |
Imports - commodities | food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods | - |
Imports - partners | Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%, NZ 4.1% (2005) | - |
Independence | 1 October 1978 (from UK) | 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA |
Industries | fishing, tourism, copra | tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products |
Infant mortality rate | total: 19.47 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
total: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.7% (2003 est.) | NA (2000) |
International organization participation | ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO | ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
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 or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) |
Labor force | 3,615 (2004 est.) | 30,540 (January 1994) |
Labor force - by occupation | note: 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 | total: 4.4 km
border countries: France 4.4 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 66.67% other: 33.33% (2005) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2001) |
Languages | Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) | French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque |
Legal system | NA | based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15 |
unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held NA February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 68.32 years
male: 66.08 years female: 70.66 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 79.42 years
male: 75.53 years female: 83.5 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: NA
total population: 99% male: NA female: 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 | Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 196,790 GRT/256,436 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 37, chemical tanker 1, container 2, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 43 (China 23, Hong Kong 8, Kenya 1, Russia 2, Singapore 6, Thailand 1, Turkey 2) (2006) |
none |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Police Force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 1 October (1978) | National Day (Prince of Monaco Holiday), 19 November |
Nationality | noun: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan |
noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective: Monegasque or Monacan |
Natural hazards | severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level | NA |
Natural resources | fish | none |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 7.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings | National and Democratic Union or UND [Jean-Louis CAMPORA]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM [leader NA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 11,810 (July 2006 est.) | 32,270 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 1.51% (2006 est.) | 0.44% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Monaco |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) |
Religions | Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6% | Roman Catholic 90% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite |
general assessment: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: NA international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system |
Telephones - main lines in use | 700 (2002) | 33,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (2004) | 19,300 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (2004) | 5 (1998) |
Terrain | very low-lying and narrow coral atolls | hilly, rugged, rocky |
Total fertility rate | 2.98 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 3.1% (1998) |