|
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean,
straddling the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to
Australia; note—on 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 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:
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
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, Desertication, Endangered
Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—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
Population: 85,501 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 1.78% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 26.13 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 48.22 deaths/1,000 live births
(1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.88 years
male: 61.02 years
female: 64.98 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.09 children born/woman (1999 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
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 (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since
1 October 1994); Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka
TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); note—the 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); note—the 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; 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 27 November 1998 (next to be
held by NA November 2002); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Teburoro TITO reelected president; percent
of vote—Teburoro TITO 52.3%, Dr. Harry TONG 45.8%, Amberoti
NIKORA 1.9%, Taberannang TIMEON 0%
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 23 September 1998 (next to be held
by NA September 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party—NA; seats
by party—Maneaban Te Mauri Party 14, National Progressive Party
11, independents 14
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, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, 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
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.
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 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.)
GDP—real growth rate: 1.9% (1996 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$800
(1996 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 7%
services: 79% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.6% (1996 est.)
Labor force: 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.)
Electricity—production: 7 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 7 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet
potatoes, vegetables; fish
Exports: $6.7 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Exports—commodities: copra 62%, seaweed, fish
Exports—partners: US, Australia, NZ (1996)
Imports: $37.4 million (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
Imports—commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment,
miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Imports—partners: Australia 46%, Fiji, Japan, NZ,
US (1996)
Debt—external: $7.2 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $15.5 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1—1.5853
(January 1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486
(1995), 1.3667 (1994)
Fiscal year: NA
Telephones: 1,400 (1984 est.)
Telephone system:
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 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 15,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 0 (1988)
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: 1 passenger-cargo (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291
GRT/1,295 DWT (1998 est.)
Airports: 21 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 5 (1998 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 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
Disputes—international: none
Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook
|
