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.

Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N 173 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 811 km²
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: 50.68%
Other: 46.58% (2001)

Irrigated land: NA

Natural hazards: typhoons can occur any time but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them very 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

Population: 103,092 (July 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 2.25% (2005 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
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% some Seventh-Day Adventist Muslim Baha'i Latter-day Saints and Church of God (1999)

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.9% (male 20,342/female 19,806)
15-64 years: 57.7% (male 29,362/female 30,136)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,477/female 1,969) (2005 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.05 years
Male: 19.61 years
Female: 20.58 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.25% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 30.86 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 8.37 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 est.)

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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 48.52 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 53.64 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 43.16 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 61.71 years
Male: 58.71 years
Female: 64.86 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.2 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
Conventional short form: Kiribati
Note: pronounced keer-ree-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)

Independence: 12 July 1979 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 12 July (1979)

Constitution: 12 July 1979

Legal system: NA

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); 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; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
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; election last held 4 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2007); vice president appointed by the president
Election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA 9.1%

Legislative branch
Elections: first round elections last held 29 November 2002; second round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be held by November 2006)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
Note: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003

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

Political parties and leaders
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 AsDB C FAO IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IOC ITU OPCW PIF Sparteca UN 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

Economy overview: A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls Kiribati has few natural 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. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage of development as is the expansion of private sector initiatives. Foreign financial aid from UK Japan Australia New Zealand and China equals 25%-50% of GDP. Remittances from workers abroad account for more than $5 million each year.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $79 million - supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources (2001 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 1.5% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2001 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 30%
Industry: 7%
Services: 63% (1998 est.)

Agriculture products: copra taro breadfruit sweet potatoes vegetables; fish

Industries: fishing handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1991 est.)

Labor force: 7,870 economically active not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.)

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

Population below poverty line: NA

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

Budget
Revenues: $28.4 million
Expenditures: $37.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.)

Fiscal year: NA

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2001 est.)

Exports: $35 million f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: copra 62% coconuts seaweed fish
Partners: France 45.7% Japan 29.2% US 9.1% Thailand 5.4% (2004)

Imports: $83 million c.i.f. (2002)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment miscellaneous manufactured goods fuel
Partners: Australia 33.6% Fiji 29.8% Japan 10.3% New Zealand 6.9% France 4.1% (2004)

Debt external: $10 million (1999 est.)

Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004) 1.5419 (2003) 1.8406 (2002) 1.9334 (2001) 1.7248 (2000)

Electricity
Production: 7 million kWh (2002)
Consumption: 6.51 million kWh (2002)
Exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Imports: 0 kWh (2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 4,500 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 500 (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: generally good quality national and international service
Domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati; 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)

Internet
Country code: .ki
Users: 2000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: NA
Percent of gdp: NA

Airports: 20 (2004 est.)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Waterways: 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003)

Merchant marine
Total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT
By type: passenger/cargo 1 (2005)

Disputes international: none