Tuvalu has a population of just over 10,000 people. It became the 189th member of the United Nations in September 2000. 4,676 people voted in its 1974 self-determination referendum which led to a separation from Kiribati. The formation of the United Nations after World War II resulted in a 'Special Committee on Decolonisation' being created in 1961. Resolution 1514 in 1960 had laid the groundwork - 'The subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and is an impediment to the promotion of world peace and co-operation.' 89 countries voted in favour, none against, and nine abstained - Australia, Belgium, Dominican Republic, France, Portugal, Spain, the Union of South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States. Kiribati (99% Micronesian) and Tuvalu (96% Polynesian) split along racial lines. South Africa became a (white-controlled) republic in 1961. The same self-determination concept was used to create Apartheid.
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