Map of Kiribati | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.


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Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note_on 1 January 1995, Kiribati unilaterally moved the International Date Line from the middle of the country to include its easternmost islands and make it the same day throughout the country

Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 717 km²
Land: 717 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes three island groups_Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,143 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain: mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m

Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)

Land use
Arable land: NA%
Permanent crops: 51%
Permanent pastures: NA%
Forests and woodland: 3%
Other: 46% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes

Geography
Note: 20 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean_the others are Makatea in French Polynesia and Nauru


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Population: 85,501 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 1.78% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
Adjective: I-Kiribati

Ethnic groups: Micronesian

Languages: English (official), Gilbertese

Religions: Roman Catholic 53%, Protestant (Congregational) 41%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.78% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 26.13 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 7.53 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.77 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertication, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 48.22 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.88 years
Male: 61.02 years
Female: 64.98 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
Conventional short form: Kiribati
Note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss
Former: Gilbert Islands

Government type: republic

Capital: Tarawa

Administrative divisions: 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Note: in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils_one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)

Dependent areas

Independence: 12 July 1979 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1979)

Constitution: 12 July 1979

Legal system: NA

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); note_the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); note_the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Assembly, includes the president, vice president, attorney general, and up to eight other ministers
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; note_the House of Assembly chooses the presidential candidates from among their members and then those candidates compete in a general election; election last held 27 November 1998 (next to be held by NA November 2002); vice president appointed by the president
Election results: Teburoro TITO reelected president; percent of vote_Teburoro TITO 52.3%, Dr. Harry TONG 45.8%, Amberoti NIKORA 1.9%, Taberannang TIMEON 0%

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (41 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member, and one nominated to represent Banaba; members serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 23 September 1998 (next to be held by NA September 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_Maneaban Te Mauri Party 14, National Progressive Party 11, independents 14

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges at all levels are appointed by the president; High Court, judges at all levels are appointed by the president; 26 Magistrates' courts, judges at all levels are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati

Flag description: the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few national resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. The financial sector is at an early stage of development as is the expansion of private sector initiatives. Foreign financial aid, largely from the UK and Japan, is a critical supplement to GDP, equal to 25%-50% of GDP in recent years. Remittances from workers abroad account for more than $5 million each year.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.9% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $800 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 14%
Industry: 7%
Services: 79% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish

Industries: fishing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1992 est.)

Labor force: 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $33.3 million
Expenditures: $47.7 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A million (1996 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: NA

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $6.7 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: copra 62%, seaweed, fish
Partners: US, Australia, NZ (1996)

Imports: $37.4 million (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Partners: Australia 46%, Fiji, Japan, NZ, US (1996)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $7.2 million (1996 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1: 1.5853 (January 1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994)


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Electricity
Production: 7 million kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 7 million kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 1,400 (1984 est.)

Telephone system
Domestic: NA
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 21 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 5 (1998 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: small network of canals, totaling 5 km, in Line Islands

Merchant marine: total:1 passenger-cargo (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT (1998 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs