But not lacking in resourcefulness. Last year Tuvalu hit international headlines when a young Canadian bid $50 million for the right to sub-licence Tuvalu's Internet country suffix—.tv—to TV stations and media companies worldwide (.tv is more recognisable than .com). The deal is still being negotiated, but even if Tuvalu gets one-tenth the amount, it would be like India receiving $500 billion. With a population of less than 10,000, Tuvalu is one of the world's smallest countries.
Dot TV is just one example of how Tuvalu hustles to stay afloat (sorry, wrong metaphor, since its agitation against global warming threatens to sink it). It makes money out of various rights that flow from sovereignty—philately (with stamps as big as postcards), issuing second passports to businessmen under an investment migration scheme, fishing licences, overflight rights. Though religious, it leases a few international phone lines to US sex call companies (to earn another tidy $2 million). Tourism does not sell—it's too remote, and has few uninhabited islands for resort development as the Maldives does. Just as well. The last time a cruise ship appeared, it outnumbered the population.
