Kiribati source: CIA World Factbook 1998 |
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; noteon 1 January 1995, Kiribati unilaterally moved the International Date Line from the middle of the country to include its easternmost islands and make it the same day throughout the country
Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 717 sq km
land: 717 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groupsGilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix
Islands
Areacomparative: 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: NA%
permanent crops: 51%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 46% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes
Environmentcurrent 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
Environmentinternational agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone
Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographynote: 20 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Oceanthe others are Makatea in French Polynesia and Nauru
Population: 83,976 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 1.82% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 26.46 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 7.62 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 49.69 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.61 years
male: 60.79 years
female: 64.68 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.13 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups: Micronesian
Religions: Roman Catholic 53%, Protestant (Congregational) 41%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985 est.)
Languages: English (official), Gilbertese
Literacy: NA
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Data code: KR
Government type: republic
National 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 councilsone 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 (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice
President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); notethe
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994);
Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994);
notethe president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of
Assembly, includes the president, vice president, attorney general, and up to eight other
ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; notethe
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 September 1998); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Teburoro TITO elected president; percent of voteTeburoro
TITO 51.2%, Tewareka TENTOA 18.3%, Roniti TEIWAKI 16.0%, Peter Taberannang TIMEON 14.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (41
seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member, and one nominated to represent
Banaba; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 22 July 1994 (next to be held by NA July 1998)
election results: percent of vote by partyNA; seats by partyManeaban Te
Mauri Party 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; 26 Magistrates' courts judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: National Progressive Party, Teatao TEANNAKI; New
Movement Party, leader NA; Liberal Party, Tewareka TENTOA; Maneaban Te Mauri Party,
Teburoro TITO
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
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, 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
Economyoverview: 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. Real GDP growth has declined from about 10% in 1988 to about 2.6% in 1995 and 1.9% in 1996. Growth in 1997 was expected to parallel the 1996 performance. 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 as is the expansion of private sector initiatives. 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. Remittances from workers abroad account for more than $5 million each year.
GDP: purchasing power parity$62 million (1996 est.)
GDPreal growth rate: 1.9% (1996 est.)
GDPper capita: purchasing power parity$800 (1996 est.)
GDPcomposition by sector:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 7%
services: 79% (1996 est.)
Inflation rateconsumer price index: -0.6% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $33.3 million
expenditures: $47.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (1996
est.)
Industries: fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1992 est.)
Electricitycapacity: 2,000 kW (1995)
Electricityproduction: 7 million kWh (1995)
Electricityconsumption per capita: 88 kWh (1995)
Agricultureproducts: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Exports:
total value: $6.7 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: copra 62%, seaweed, fish
partners: US, Australia, NZ (1996)
Imports:
total value: $37.4 million (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods,
fuel
partners: Australia 46%, Fiji, Japan, NZ, US (1996)
Debtexternal: $7.2 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $4.725 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.); $2.175 million from
NZ (FY95/96)
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$11.5281 (January 1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993)
Fiscal year: NA
Telephones: 1,400 (1984 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station1 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 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 15,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1988 est.)
Televisions: 0 (1988 est.)
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 670 km (1996 est.)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: small network of canals, totaling 5 km, in Line Islands
Ports and harbors: 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, passenger-cargo 1 (1997 est.)
Airports: 21 (1997 est.)
Airportswith paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (1997 est.)
Airportswith unpaved runways:
total: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 5 (1997 est.)
Military branches: no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands)
Military expendituresdollar figure: $NA
Military expenditurespercent of GDP: NA%
Disputesinternational: none
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