Nanumea) TUILIMU (since
NA April 1999)
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 27 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: Ionatana IONATANA elected prime minister; percent of
Parliament vote - NA; Lagitupu (of Nanumea) TUILIMU elected deputy
prime minister; percent of Parliament vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called
House of Assembly (12 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 26-27 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 12

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: ACP, AsDB, C (special),
ESCAP, IFRCS (associate), 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. 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 inve