A constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth, Tuvalu comprises nine main islands and their associated islets and reefs in the western Pacific Ocean. Area: 24.4 sq km (9.4 sq mi). Pop. (1995 est.): 9,400. Cap.: Fongafale, on Funafuti Atoll. Monetary unit: Australian dollar, with (Oct. 6, 1995) a free rate of $A 1.31 to U.S. $1 ($A 2.08 = £1 sterling). Queen, Elizabeth II; governor-general in 1995, Tulaga Manuella; prime minister, Kamuta Laatasi.
At the annual Independence Day celebrations in October 1995, a new flag, which deleted the Union Jack, was flown publicly for the first time. Suggestions of a republican future for Tuvalu, which would involve severing links with the British crown, met with little enthusiasm, however.
Tuvalu’s capacity to patrol its large exclusive economic zone was improved with the gift of a patrol vessel from Australia and with the related construction of a national coordinating centre and support workshop. The gift would be supported by a detachment of Australian naval personnel and a guaranteed future refit to extend the life of the vessel. Prime Minister Kamuta Laatasi visited Tokyo for talks on overseas development assistance and attended meetings of the Pacific Islands Development Program in Honolulu. A major urban-planning project for Funafuti and for Vaitupu had been initiated by the Asian Development Bank.
In March Laatasi attended the inaugural meeting of a new regional subgrouping of Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Tuvalu, which was intended to foster cooperation in economic development, civil aviation, and other matters. Tuvalu joined other South Pacific Forum states in condemning French nuclear testing.
This updates the article Tuvalu.