Kiribati

From World travel guide

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 18 External links 19 Geography 20 People 21 Government 22 Economy 23 Communications 24 Transportation 25 Military 26 Transnational Issues

Regions

• Phoenix Group, Rawaki.
  • Nikumaroro.

Cities

Tarawa - capital

Other destinations

Understand

Originally under British colonial rule as the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati was granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati. The name "Kiribati" is pronounced "Kiri-bass", which is the closest local equivalent to "Gilberts".

The Phoenix and Line Islands, while under Kiribati jurisdiction, are actually on the other side of the International Date Line. However, on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as the Gilbert Islands (GMT +12).

Some islands, especially the capital Tarawa, saw battles during the Second World War, and shipwreck diving is a common tourist activity.

Get in

By plane

Air Nauru Air Marshall Islands

By train

By car

By bus

By boat

Norwegian Cruise Lines offers a stop on Fanning Island on their 11 and 10 day Hawaiian cruises. The cruises depart in Hawaii and stop for approximately 8 hours on the island.

Get around

Talk

English is an official language of the islands, and is widely spoken. The native I-Kiribati language may be useful in more remote locations, however.

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

External links

This article is still a stub and needs your attention. Plunge forward and help it grow!

This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit it.

Geography

Geographic coordinates 

1 25 N, 173 00 E

Map references 

Oceania

Area 

total: 811 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 811 sq km

Area - comparative 

four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries 

0 km

Coastline 

1,143 km

Maritime claims 

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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: 0%
permanent crops: 50.68%
other: 49.32% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

NA sq km

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, 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 

96,335 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 40.2% (male 19,588; female 19,092)
15-64 years: 56.6% (male 26,905; female 27,625)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 1,339; female 1,786) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

2.28% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

31.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

8.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

52.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 60.54 years
female: 63.62 years (2002 est.)
male: 57.61 years

Total fertility rate 

4.32 children born/woman (2002 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 

predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian

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
former: Gilbert Islands
note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss

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 Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President Beniamina TIINGA (since NA December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among their members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 25 February 2003 (next to be held by November 2007); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Teburoro TITO reelected president; percent of vote - Teburoro TITO 50.4%, Taberannang TIMEON 48.4%, Bakeua Bakeua TEKITA 1.2%
cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament
head of government: President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President Beniamina TIINGA (since NA December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

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)

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]; 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 pressure groups and leaders 

NA

International organization participation 

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US 

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 the Marshall Islands 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

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 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, is a critical supplement to GDP, equal to 25%-50% of GDP in recent years. Remittances from workers abroad account for more than $5 million each year.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $79 million (2001 est.), 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 - $840 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 30%
industry: 7%
services: 63% (1998 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.)

Labor force 

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

Unemployment rate 

2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)

Budget 

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

Industries 

fishing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate 

0.7% (1991 est.)

Electricity - production 

7 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

6.51 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish

Exports 

$6 million f.o.b. (1998)

Exports - commodities 

copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish

Exports - partners 

Japan, Bangladesh, US, Australia, Brazil, Poland (2000)

Imports 

$44 million c.i.f. (1999)

Imports - commodities 

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel

Imports - partners 

Australia, Japan, Fiji, Poland, US (2000)

Debt - external 

$10 million (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient 

$15.5 million (1995), largely from UK and Japan

Currency 

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code 

AUD

Exchange rates 

Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (January 2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997)

Fiscal year 

NA

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

3,800 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

NA

Telephone system 

general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service

Radio broadcast stations 

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

Radios 

17,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

1 (not reported to be active) (2002)

Televisions 

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code 

.ki

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

1 (2000)

Internet users 

1,000 (2000)

Transportation

Railways 

0 km

Highways 

total: 670 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: 27 km are paved in South Tarawa (2001)

Waterways 

5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands)

Ports and harbors 

Banaba, Betio, English Harbour, Kanton

Merchant marine 

total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT
ships by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2002 est.)

Airports 

21 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 4 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

NA%

Military - note 

Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

de:Kiribati fr:Kiribati ja:キリバス