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.
Location
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line
Geographic coordinates
1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references
Oceania
Area
total
811 sq km
land
811 sq km
water
0 sq km
note
includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative
four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
1,143 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
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 very sensitive to changes in sea level
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
Environment - international agreements
party to
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
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
107,817 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
38.2% (male 20,886/female 20,322)
15-64 years
58.4% (male 31,083/female 31,884)
65 years and over
3.4% (male 1,554/female 2,088) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
20.4 years
male
19.9 years
female
20.9 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
2.235% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
30.48 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
8.12 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.028 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.975 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.744 male(s)/female
total population
0.986 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
46.02 deaths/1,000 live births
male
51.03 deaths/1,000 live births
female
40.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
62.45 years
male
59.41 years
female
65.63 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.12 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
Nationality
noun
I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective
I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups
Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)
Religions
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, other (includes Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of God) 8% (1999)
Languages
I-Kiribati, English (official)
Literacy
definition
NA
total population
NA
male
NA
female
NA
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 25 N, 173 00 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 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
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 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
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats; 39 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorney general, 1 appointed to represent Banaba, and 1 other; to serve four-year terms)
elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003 (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)
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
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation 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. Private sector initiatives and a financial sector are in the early stages of development. Foreign financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China equals more than 10% 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$209 million (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$76.4 million (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
0.3% (2005)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$2,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
8.9%
industry
24.2%
services
66.8% (2004)
Labor force
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
2.7%
industry
32%
services
65.3% (2000)
Unemployment rate
2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.5% (2005 est.)
Budget
revenues
$55.52 million
expenditures
$59.71 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05)
Agriculture - products
Industries
fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate
0.7% (1991 est.)
Electricity - production
13 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
12.09 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
200 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance
-$19.87 million (2004)
Exports
$17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners
US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%, Australia 7.5%, Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark 4.6% (2006)
Imports
$62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Imports - partners
Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2006)
Debt - external
$10 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$16.7 million largely from UK and Japan (2004)
Currency (code)
Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code
AUD
Exchange rates
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002)
Fiscal year
NA
Telephones - main lines in use
4,500 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular
600 (2004)
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)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (may be inactive) (2002)
Radios
17,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
1 (possibly inactive) (2002)
Televisions
1,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.ki
Internet hosts
42 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
2,000 (2004)
Airports
19 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
3
1,524 to 2,437 m
3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
16
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
914 to 1,523 m
11
under 914 m
4 (2006)
Roadways
total: 670 km (1999)
Waterways
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007)
Merchant marine
total
2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,749 GRT/3,911 DWT
by type
cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1
foreign-owned
1 (UAE 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Betio
Military branches
no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands) (2007)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49: 21,938 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 14,231 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49: 1,128 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA
Military - note
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
