Tuvalu¶

Area

Oceania/Australia

Tuvalu is a really tiny Polynesian island nation in the Pacific Ocean halfway between Hawaii and Australia. Its four reef islands and five atolls measure 26 square kilometers making it the fourth smallest sovereign nation in the world (Vatican City, Monaco, and Naura are all smaller). With less than 13,000 inhabitants, only Vatican City is smaller by population.

With a maximum height of 4.5 m above sea level, only the Maldives has a lower maximum elevation. Tuvalu is extremely susceptible to rising sea levels, and it is estimated that an increase of 20-40 cm would make the islands uninhabitable. Tuvalu's main source of income is foreign aid, and I suspect the government also makes money from the sale of coins (and stamps). While representing regular currency, most of the coins presented here at the Coin Zoo are "proof" coins meant for collectors.

Tuvalu's internet domain is .tv, which is valuable as an abbreviation of television. In 2000, the Tuvalu government negotiated a $50 million, 12-year royalty deal for use of the .tv domain name. They currently receive $1 million dollars per quarter in royalty payments.

Tuvalu on Wikipedia