Kiribati

 
Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator and the International Date Line, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia

Area

Total area: 717 sq km
Land area: 717 sq km
Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Note: Includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands

Land Boundaries

0 km

Coastline

1,143 km

Maritime Claims

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

International Disputes

None

Climate

Tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain

Mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
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: 0%
Permanent crops: 51%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Forest and woodland: 3%
Other: 46%

Irrigated Land

Environment

Current issues: NA
Natural hazards: typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes
International agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change

Note: 20 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

80,919 (July 1996 est.)
79,386 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

15-64 Years

65 Years and Over

Population Growth Rate

1.89% (1996 est.)
1.95% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

27.13 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
31.25 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

7.9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
12.31 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

52.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
98.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 62.02 years (1996 est.), 54.16 years (1995 est.)
Male: 60.25 years (1996 est.), 52.56 years (1995 est.)
Female: 64.03 years (1996 est.), 55.78 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

3.21 children born/woman (1996 est.)
3.73 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
Adjective: I-Kiribati

Ethnic Divisions

Micronesian

Religions

Roman Catholic 52.6%
Protestant (Congregational) 40.9%
Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985)

Languages

English (official), Gilbertese

Literacy

Labor Force

7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
Conventional short form: Kiribati
Former: Gilbert Islands

Digraph

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 (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina; note - one council for each of the inhabited islands)

Independence

12 July 1979 (from U.K.)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 12 July (1979)

Constitution

12 July 1979

Legal System

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state and head of government: President (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994) was elected by popular vote; note - the House of Assembly chooses the presidential candidates from among their members and then those candidates compete in a general election; election last held 30 September 1994 (next to be held by NA 1999); results - Teburoro TITO 51.2%, Tewareka TENTOA 18.3%, Roniti TEIWAKI 16.0%, Peter Taberannang TIMEON 14.5%; Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994) was appointed by the president
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president from an elected parliament

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

House of Assembly (Maneaba Ni Maungatabu)

Elections last held on 22 July 1994 (next to be held by NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (40 total; 39 elected) Maneaban Te Mauri 13, National Progressive Party 7, independents 19

Judicial Branch

Court of Appeal, judges at all levels are appointed by the president; High Court, judges at all levels are appointed by the president

Political Parties and Leaders

National Progressive Party, Teatao TEANNAKI; Christian Democratic Party, Teburoro TITO; New Movement Party, leader NA; Liberal Party, Tewareka TENTOA; Maneaban Te Mauri Party, Roniti TEIWAKI

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

Member of

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

National Anthem

National anthem

Flag

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 national resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Real GDP growth has declined from about 10% in 1988 to about 2.6% in 1995. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. The financial sector is at an early stage of development. Foreign financial aid, largely from the UK and Japan, is a critical supplement to GDP, equal in amount to 25%-50% of GDP in recent years.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $68 million (1995 est.), $62 million (1993 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2.6% (1995 est.)
2.9% (1993 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$860 (1995 est.)
$800 (1993 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

5.5% (1994 est.)
6.5% (1993 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)

Budget

Revenues: $32.5 million (1995 est.), $29.6 million (1993 est.)
Expenditures: $54.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.), $32.8 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1993 est.)

Exports

$6.3 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$4.2 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)

Commodities:

Copra 50%
Seaweed 16%
Fish 15%

Partners:

Denmark
Fiji
U.S.

Imports

$38.6 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
$33.1 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)

Commodities:

Foodstuffs
Machinery and equipment
Miscellaneous manufactured goods
Fuel

Partners:

Australia 40%
Japan 18%
Fiji 17%
NZ 6%
U.S. 4% (1991)

External Debt

$2 million (December 1989 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 0.7% (1992 est.); accounts for less than 4% of GDP

Electricity

Capacity: 5,000 kW
Production: 13 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 131 kWh (1993)

Industries

Fishing
Handicrafts

Agriculture

Accounts for 23% of GDP (including fishing); copra and fish contribute about 65% to exports; subsistence farming predominates; food crops - taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; not self-sufficient in food

Economic Aid

Recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $273 million

Currency

1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

Exchange Rates

Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.3477 (January 1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799 (1990)

Fiscal Year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Total: 640 km
Paved: NA
Unpaved: NA

Inland Waterways

Small network of canals, totaling 5 km, in Line Islands

Ports

Banaba, Betio, English Harbor, Kanton

Merchant Marine

Total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,248 GRT/4,496 DWT
ships by type: oil tanker 1, short-sea passenger 1 (1995 est.)

Airports

Total: 20
With paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 11 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

1,400 telephones

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 15,000 (1992 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: NA

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

No regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands)

Defense Expenditures

History
World Atlas

Last updated: 28 november 1997

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