GUATEMALA CITY, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved the memberships of Pacific island chain of Tuvalu and Montenegro here on Friday, bringing the IOC membership to 205 countries and regions.

    Montenegro split from Serbia last year and has a population of about 620,000, while Tuvalu is a chain of five Polynesian islands with a population of about 12,000. It gained independence from Britain in 1978.