Welcome to Tuvalu
This small island nation stretches across the Pacific Ocean, right between Hawaii and Australia.
It has an area of 26 km2 and has the lowest GDP in the world.
Population - Approximately 11000
Industry - Fisheries Only
Agriculture - Farmers here only harvest coconuts and grow a native plant called pulaka. This crop contributes little to the economy.
Tourism - Due to its remote location only 2000 people visited Tuvalu in 2016 of which 65% were business travelers and 15% were international agency workers and technical consultants.
Telecommunications - The country only has an AM station, also provided by Japan. Only 900 people use the internet. Speeds are very slow: 512 kbps upload and 1.5 Mbps download.
Clean water Tuvalu has only one source of clean water rain. However, due to global warming in recent years, rainfall in Tuvalu has been reduced. Therefore, the need for clean water is currently met by the presence of a water purification facility provided by the United Nations.
Tuvalu has one college and one hospital. It's interesting to note that India annually provides $125,000 in aid to Tuvalu's only hospital for essential medicines and equipment.
Due to lack of land, there's no large playground for the children to play in. So they play on the airstrip! However, when a plane arrives, they'll be warned by a loud siren. When the plane lands, they'll come back. It's dangerous, but they have no other choice.
Tuvalu is not blessed with natural resources. The largest contributor to Tuvalu's GDP is the internet domain .tv.
Yes, you read that correctly. In 1998, an American startup paid the Tuvaluan government $50 million for the .tv domain rights for 12 years. With this money, Tuvalu was able to join the United Nations with a then-current $100,000 entry fee. The .tv domain also increased GDP by 50%. The government was able to provide electricity to all islands.
And most importantly, I want to tell you that this island nation will cease to exist within the next 50 years because it will sink due to global warming. The risk of sinking is twice the international average. Within the next 50 years, all residents must be evacuated to safety.
So, in closing, I'm not saying Tuvalu is a worthless country. I have no right to hurt the feelings of Tuvaluans. The people who live there are just like us, and just like us, they're proud of their country.
I'd rather say that they're all unfortunate people who don't have the resources we normally have. What adds to their disappointment is that their country will no longer be in the future, and that pains me deeply.