Tuvalu: Political System
According to topschoolsintheusa, Tuvalu is a parliamentary-democratic monarchy in the Commonwealth. At the head of the state is the British Queen as Queen of Tuvalu. This is represented locally by a governor general; however, it only has representative tasks. See AbbreviationFinder for more information about Tuvalu politics, and acronyms as well.
The government in the islands is led by a prime minister who is elected by parliament. The cabinet consists of the Prime Minister and six ministers. The parliament, in turn, consists of 15 members. It is elected every four years in a direct election.
There are no parties.
The official name of the country is:
| Tuvalu |
National anthem
Based on flag descriptions by Countryaah.com, the text and music of the national anthem of Tuvalu was written by Afease Manoa. It became the country’s official anthem in 1978.
- Check top-mba-universities for public holidays, sports events, UNESCO world heritage sites and major places to visit in Tuvalu.
In the original language
| “Tuvalu mo te Atua”Ko te Fakavae sili,
Ko te ala foci tena, O te manuia katoa; Loto lasi o fai, Tou malo saoloto; Fusi ake katoa Ki te loto alofa; Kae amo fakatasi Ate atu fenua. “Tuvalu mo te Atua” Ki te se gata mai!Tuku atu tau pulega Ki te pule mai luga, Kilo tonu ki ou mua Me ko ia e tautai. “Pule tasi mo ia” Ki te se gata mai, Ko tena mana Ko tou malosi tena. Pati lima kae kalaga Ulufonu ki te tupu. “Tuvalu ko tu saoloto” Ki te se gata mai. |
And in the English version
| Tuvalu for the AlmightyAre the words we hold most dear;
For as people or as leaders Of Tuvalu we all share In the knowledge that God Ever rules in heav’n above, And that we in this land Are united in His love. We build on a sure foundation When we trust in God’s great law; “Tuvalu for the Almighty” Be our song for evermore!Let us trust our lives henceforward To the King to whom we pray, With our eyes fixed firmly on Him He is showing us the way. “May we reign with Him in glory” Be our song for evermore, for His almighty power Is our strength from shore to shore. Shout aloud in jubilation To the King whom we adore. “Tuvalu free and united” Be our song for evermore! |
And in the English translation
| Tuvalu AlmightyAre the most important words for us,
because whether as people or as leaders of Tuvalu we all share the knowledge that God rules over us forever in heaven, and that we are united in his love in this land. We build on a secure foundation, If we trust in God’s great law, “Tuvalu Almighty” Be our song forever!Let us now entrust our lives to the king to whom we pray, our eyes fixed on him, he shows us the way. “May we reign gloriously with him” Be our song forever, For his almighty power Is our strength from coast to coast. It shouts loudly in exultation to The King whom we adore. “Tuvalu Free and United” Be our song forever! |
Tuvalu: People we know
Musician
Te Vaka is a music group whose members come from Tuvalu and Tockelau. The music group plays music that combines traditional and modern elements. Their performances are accompanied by dances.
Tuvalu: animals
Like the flora, the Tuvalus fauna is also rather poor in species, with the exception of the underwater world.
Mammals
The only wild mammal in Tuvalu is the Polynesian rat.
Other animals such as dogs, cats and pigs have been brought in and domesticated by humans.
Reptiles, poisonous animals
The representatives of the reptiles include various types of lizards and turtles.
The meat of the coconut crab can contain toxins. The crab is believed to ingest and store plant toxins, which would explain why eating its meat sometimes causes poisoning and sometimes doesn’t.
Birds
There are hardly any birds on the islands as they used to be hunted more often for traditional reasons. However, some species such as the terns and gannets can still be seen. The bristle curlew also overwinters here.
The Pacific fruit pigeon is a bird up to 40 cm tall, sometimes referred to in German as the tonga fruit pigeon. However, this is not entirely correct, as it is not only found in Tuvalu but also in the Solomon Islands, Samoa and Tonga as well as Fiji, the Loyalty Islands, American Samoa, Kiribati, Tokelau, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Cook Islands. Their diet mainly includes fruits and berries, but nuts are also on the menu.
Invertebrates and insects
The Aedes mosquito is widespread and it is essential to protect yourself from it, as it transmits dengue fever.
There are also some endemic snail species (found only in Tuvalu) here. The coconut crab, the largest living land crab in the world, is now almost extinct. It is closely related to the hermit crabs. However, the coconut crab only has the protective snail shell around its abdomen when it is young and instead forms a chitin blanket with age. In this way, she can also reach the amazing height of 40 cm with a wingspan of 1 m.
Another name of the remarkable crab is palm thief, which stems from the fact that for a long time it was believed that crabs climb palm trees in order to snip coconuts from them and then eat them on the ground. While it is true that they can actually climb the palm trees to eat the coconuts on top, it also happens that the fruit will fall off in the process. However, it is wrong to assume that the coconut crab climbed up with the intention of doing just that.
Rather, it is chance in the sequence of events that has led to the widespread idea of a palm thief. In addition to coconuts, the menu of the mostly nocturnal coconut crab also includes fruits from other trees such as the panda nut tree. It also occasionally feeds on carrion and live small animals.
You can also find ants, bees and wasps here.
Underwater world
Nine islands of Tuvalu are coral atolls, with the rare blue coral playing an essential role in the formation of the atoll. It differs from other reef-forming corals by the blue color of its limestone skeleton.
The waters around Tuvalu are very rich in fish and occasionally the 2-3 m large sand tiger shark can be observed near the coast.
Tuvalu: plants
Trees
Similar to the animal kingdom, the flora of Tuvalu is rather poor in species. Much of the vegetation had to give way to coconut palms and gardens.
The most common plant species on the islands of Tuvalu is without question the coconut palm. The German name of the frequently occurring panda nut tree is screw palm, which describes the arrangement of its sharply sawn leaves. It forms aerial roots on the lower part of the trunk. The fruits are spherical and consist of hundreds of individual fruits. With some species of the screw palm (there are 630 in total) you can eat the fleshy part of the fruit cluster.
Other trees are casuarines and breadfruit trees. There are smaller populations of mangroves on five of the Tuvalu Islands, with the stilted mangrove being the most common. On Vaitupu the trees reach a height of 6 m. Milkweed, flour flower, cape gooseberry and cannon flower are already endangered. The latter owes its name to the fact that when touched, some species open the buds and shoot the pollen out explosively.
Crops
The taro is also known under the name taro. This bulbous plant belongs to the arum family and forms perennial, up to 2 m high bushes with upright growth. Their heart-shaped leaves are dark green with a fine white coating and often have a diameter of 60 cm. The tuberous, thickened roots are mainly used, and are prepared like potatoes. But young taro leaves are also eaten as a vegetable.
From the coconut the formerly only export article Tuvalu is made, the copra. This is the name given to the dried meat of coconuts, from which coconut oil is finally obtained.
Bananas and papayas are also among the most important agricultural products.
The pulaka plant also plays an important role, although it is very sensitive to salt water.
Medicinal plants
In addition to anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties, the Asian pennywort also has the ability to renew connective tissue. The extract, which is obtained from the leaves of the marsh plant, is often used, especially for skin problems.
The Phyllanthus from the milkweed family is a low-growing bush plant. In addition to its urinary and choletic abilities, it should also help with jaundice and hepatitis.
More plants
The breadfruit tree imported from India is widespread. This is bulky and has large leaves up to half a meter long and fruit clusters weighing up to 5 kg. The elongated, round breadfruit of the tree has a green, prickly skin and grows 2 m high. In Europe it is cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
All cultivated plants are also not indigenous.
