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

Area
Rank: 187
Comparative: four times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1143 km

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

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

Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)

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; Kiribati is the only country in the world to fall into all four hemispheres (northern southern eastern and western)

Population: 101,998 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 195
Growth rate: 1.228% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 96
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Languages: I-Kiribati English (official)

Religions: Roman Catholic 55% Protestant 36% Mormon 3.1% Baha'i 2.2% Seventh-Day Adventist 1.9% other 1.8% (2005 census)

Population growth rate: 1.228% (2012 est.)
Rank: 96

Birth rate: 22.45 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 75

Death rate: 7.31 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 119

Net migration rate: -2.85 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 175

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

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 63

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 171

Total fertility rate: 2.71 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 75

Physicians density: 0.297 physicians/1000 population (2006)

Hospital bed density: 1.8 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

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

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 50.6% (2006)
Rank: 4

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy: NA

Government type: republic

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 customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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); members serve four-year terms)

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 [Anote TONG]; Kamaeuraoan Te I-Kiribati Party or KTK [Tetaua TAITAI]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP [Rimeta BENIAMINA]

International organization participation: ACP ADB AOSIS C FAO IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IOC ITU ITUC (NGOs) 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 US 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 Pacific ocean; the white stripes represent the three island groups - the Gilbert Line and Phoenix Islands; the 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and Banaba (formerly Ocean Island); the frigate bird symbolizes authority and freedom

National symbols: frigatebird

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: 212

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 129

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 145

Agriculture products: copra taro breadfruit sweet potatoes vegetables; fish

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 7,870
Rank: 217

Unemployment rate: 2% (1992 est.)
Rank: 11

Population below poverty line: NA%

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -29.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 213

Taxes and other revenues: 31.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 89

Fiscal year: NA

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

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$35.01 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 61

Exports: $17 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 215
Commodities: copra 62% coconuts seaweed fish

Imports: $62 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 214
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment miscellaneous manufactured goods fuel

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $8.37 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 165

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

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 21 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 213
Consumption: 19.53 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 213
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 214
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 206
Installed generating capacity: 6,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 207
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 20
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 120
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 177
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 144

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 152
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 138
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 203
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 151

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 161
Products consumption: 300 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 209
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 190
Products imports: 260.8 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 205

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 149
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 161
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 98
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 88
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 155

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 43,690 Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 207

Telephones
Main lines in use: 8,500 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 202
Mobile cellular: 13,800 (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 210

Broadcast media: 1 TV broadcast station that provides about 1 hour of local programming Monday-Friday; multi-channel TV packages provide access to Australian and US stations; 1 government-operated radio station broadcasting on AM FM and shortwave (2009)

Internet
Country code: .ki
Hosts: 327 (2012)
Hosts rank: 189
Users: 7,800 (2009)
Users rank: 204

Military expenditures: NA

Airports: 19 (2012)
Rank: 137

Roadways
Rank: 190

Waterways: 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2012)
Rank: 108

Merchant marine
Rank: 59

Ports and terminals: Betio (Tarawa Atoll) Canton Island English Harbor

Disputes international: none