Map of Kiribati | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. 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 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about half way between Hawaii and Australia; note - on 1 January 1995 Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory was in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction were on the other side of the International Date Line

Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N 173 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 811 km²
Rank: 186
Land: 811 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: 1143 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 2.74%
Permanent crops: 47.95%
Other: 49.31% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

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; low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

Geography
Note: 21 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: 112,850 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 189
Growth rate: 2.235% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 43
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: I-Kiribati
Adjective: I-Kiribati

Ethnic groups: Micronesian 98.8% other 1.2% (2000 census)

Languages: I-Kiribati English (official)

Religions: Roman Catholic 52% Protestant (Congregational) 40% other (includes Seventh-Day Adventist Muslim Baha'i Latter-day Saints Church of God) 8% (1999)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 37.6%
15-64 years: 59% (male 32,871/female 33,690)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 1656/female 2,246) (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 20.8 years
Male: 20.3 years
Female: 21.3 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.235% (2009 est.)
Rank: 43

Birth rate: 30.2 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 48

Death rate: 7.85 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 112

Net migration rate: NA (2009 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 44% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

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 Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 43.48 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 61
Male: 48.35 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 38.36 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 63.22 years
Rank: 174
Male: 60.14 years
Female: 66.45 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.04 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 47

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 17.8% of GDP (2002)
Rank: 1

Literacy: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 12 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 13 years (2005)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
Conventional short form: Kiribati
Local long form: Republic of Kiribati
Local short form: Kiribati
Note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
Former: Gilbert Islands

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Tarawa
Geographic coordinates: 1 19 N 172 58 E
Time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

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 the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 12 July (1979)

Constitution: 12 July 1979

Legal system: English common law supplemented by local customary law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Anote TONG ; Vice President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO
Cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament
Elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 17 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by the president
Election results: Anote TONG 63.7% Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46 seats; 44 members elected by popular vote 1 ex officio member - the attorney general 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders (representing Banaba Island); serve four-year terms)
Elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA other 2 (includes attorney general)

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

Political parties and leaders: Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
Note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters formal platforms or party structures

International organization participation: ACP ADB C FAO IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IOC ITU ITUC OPCW PIF Sparteca SPC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UPU WHO WMO

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 Fiji 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 natural resources and is one of the least developed Pacific Islands. 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. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. Private sector initiatives and a financial sector are in the early stages of development. Foreign financial aid from the EU UK US Japan Australia New Zealand Canada UN agencies and Taiwan accounts for 20-25% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust fund.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 210
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 113

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 137
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 8.9%
Industry: 24.2%
Services: 66.8% (2004)

Agriculture products: copra taro breadfruit sweet potatoes vegetables; fish

Industries: fishing handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: NA

Labor force: 7,870 economically active not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.)
Rank: 210
By occupation agriculture: 2.7%
By occupation industry: 32%
By occupation services: 65.3% (2000)

Unemployment rate: 2% (1992 est.)
Rank: 18

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $55.52 million
Expenditures: $59.71 million (FY05)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.2% (2007 est.)
Rank: 4

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: $NA

Current account balance: -$21 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 65

Exports: $17 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 206
Commodities: copra 62% coconuts seaweed fish

Imports: $62 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 212
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment miscellaneous manufactured goods fuel

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $10 million (1999 est.)
Rank: 197

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.) 1.2137 (2007) 1.3285 (2006) 1.3095 (2005) 1.3598 (2004)


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Electricity
Production: 14 million kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 208
Consumption: 13.02 million kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 209
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 172
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 168
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 81
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 156
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 162

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 4,000 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 216
Mobile cellular: 1000 (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 218

Telephone system
General assessment: generally good quality national and international service
Domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati (Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999
International: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network which should improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .ki
Hosts: 41 (2009)
Hosts rank: 212
Users: 2000 (2008)
Users rank: 209

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 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: 19 (2009)
Rank: 137
With paved runways total: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 15
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2009)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 670 km
Rank: 189

Waterways: 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007)
Rank: 109

Merchant marine
Total: 43
Rank: 76
By type: bulk carrier 2 cargo 18 chemical tanker 3 petroleum tanker 6 refrigerated cargo 14
Foreign owned: 31 (China 15 Hong Kong 4 South Korea 2 Singapore 4 Taiwan 5 Turkey 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Betio


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs