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.

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

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

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)

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.)

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.)

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

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.)

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

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)

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

Military expenditures: NA

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)

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

Disputes international: none