Introduction

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.

Geography

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 (GMT +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: 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

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; 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

People

Population: 103,092 (July 2005 est.)

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/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 8.37 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female; total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 48.52 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 53.64 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 43.16 deaths/1,000 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.)

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%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church of God (1999)

Languages: I-Kiribati, English (official)

Literacy: definition: NA; total population: NA%; male: NA%; female: NA%

Government

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: unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member - the attorney general, one appointed to represent Banaba, and one other; members serve four-year terms); 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

Economy

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.

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

GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (2001 est.)

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

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%; industry: 7%; services: 63% (1998 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

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

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

Agriculture - products: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish

Industries: fishing, handicrafts

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

Electricity - production: 7 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - consumption: 6.51 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption: 190 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports: NA

Oil - imports: NA

Exports: $35 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities: copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish

Exports - partners: France 45.1%, Japan 28.9%, US 9%, Thailand 5.4% (2004)

Imports: $83 million c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel

Imports - partners: Australia 36%, Fiji 24.8%, Japan 11%, New Zealand 8.7%, France 4.4% (2004)

Debt - external: $10 million (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $15.5 million largely from UK and Japan (2001 est.)

Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD)

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

Fiscal year: NA

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 4,500 (2002)

Telephones - 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)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1; note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (not reported to be active) (2002)

Internet country code: .ki

Internet users: 2,000 (2002)

Transportation

Highways: total: 670 km; paved: NA km; unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)

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

Ports and harbors: Betio

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

Airports: 20 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 3; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1; 914 to 1,523 m: 12; under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none