from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Kiribati
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 1 25 N, 173 00 E
coordinates:
Map Oceania
references:
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 - four times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 1,143 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: 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 lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
resources:
Land use: arable land: 2.74%
permanent crops: 47.95%
other: 49.31% (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to
hazards: March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the
islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea
level
Environment - heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to
current heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such
issues: as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water
at risk
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous
agreements: Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - 21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean
note: 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: 105,432 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.6% (male 20,608/female 20,060)
15-64 years: 58.1% (male 30,216/female 31,004)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,517/female 2,027) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 20.2 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 20.8 years (2006 est.)
Population 2.24% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 30.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 8.26 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 47.27 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 52.34 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 41.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 62.08 years
expectancy at male: 59.06 years
birth: female: 65.24 years (2006 est.)
Total 4.16 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
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, 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
local long form: Republic of Kiribati
local short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Government republic
type:
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 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix
divisions: 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 Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
holiday:
Constitution: 12 July 1979
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July
branch: 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 unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu
branch: (42 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio
member - the attorney general, 1 appointed to represent
Banaba, and 1 other; members 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 Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts;
branch: judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Political Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON];
parties and Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin
leaders: 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
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
organization IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,
participation: Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is
representation an honorary consulate in Honolulu
in the US:
Diplomatic the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the
representation ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati
from the US:
Flag the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying
description: over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue
with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent
the ocean
Economy
Economy - A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati
overview: 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 about
20% 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 $142.9 million
(purchasing note: supplemented by a nearly equal amount from
power parity): external sources (2004 est.)
GDP (official $76.4 million
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 0.3% (2005)
growth rate:
GDP - per $1,900 (2004 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 8.9%
composition by industry: 24.2%
sector: services: 66.8% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence
farmers (2001 est.)
Labor force - 2.70213%, 32%, 65.3%
by occupation:
Unemployment 2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 0.5% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $55.52 million
expenditures: $59.71 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY05)
Agriculture - copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables;
products: fish
Industries: fishing, handicrafts
Industrial 0.7% (1991 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 12 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 11.16 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 200 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Current $-19.87 million
account
balance:
Exports: $17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
commodities:
Exports - US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%,
partners: Australia 7.5%, Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark
4.6% (2005)
Imports: $62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous
commodities: manufactured goods, fuel
Imports - Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2005)
partners:
Debt - $10 million (1999 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $16.7 million largely from UK and Japan (2004)
recipient:
Currency Australian dollar (AUD)
(code):
Currency code: AUD
Exchange Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005),
rates: 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334
(2001)
Fiscal year: NA
Communications
Telephones - 4,500 (2002)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 600 (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: generally good quality national and
system: 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 AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1
broadcast note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)
stations:
Radios: 17,000 (1997)
Television 1 (not reported to be active) (2002)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet .ki
country code:
Internet 42 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 2,000 (2004)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 19 (2006)
Airports - total: 3
with paved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2006)
runways:
Airports - total: 16
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 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) (2003)
Merchant total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,749 GRT/3,911 DWT
marine: by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1
foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2006)
Ports and Betio
terminals:
Military
Military no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out
branches: law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties;
small police posts are on all islands)
Manpower males age 18-49: 21,938 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 14,231 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 1,128 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military NA
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military NA
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Military - Kiribati does not have military forces; defense
note: assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: