Kiribati
Republic of Kiribati conventional short form: Kiribati note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss former: Gilbert Islands
republicIndependence 12 July 1979 (from UK)
Kiribati as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 109 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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
18 fieldsLocation
- 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 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
Area
total: 717 sq km land: 717 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 51% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 3% other: 46% (1993 est.)
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
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
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 40.53% (male 19,322; female 18,833) 15-64 years: 56.27% (male 26,136; female 26,841) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 1,291; female 1,726) (2001 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 (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 60.16 years male: 57.25 years female: 63.22 years (2001 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 54%, Protestant (Congregational) 30%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church of God (1996)
Government
Republic; President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
House of Assembly or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu, 28 seatsone dot, one seat
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati conventional short form: Kiribati note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss former: Gilbert Islands
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)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994);
- Vice President Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994);
- note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994);
- Vice President 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: the House of Assembly 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 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;
- High Court;
- 26 Magistrates' courts;
- judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders
- Maneaban Te Mauri Party [Teburoro TITO];
- National Progressive Party [Teatao TEANNAKI] 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, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), 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
A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few national resources.
31 fieldsElectricity
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, 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. Performance in 2000 fell short of the 2.5% growth in 1999, which benefited from increased copra production and exceptionally large revenues from fishing licenses.
GDP
purchasing power parity - $76 million (2000 est.), supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources
Budget
revenues: $33.3 million expenditures: $47.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (1996 est.)
Exchange rates
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone 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
Transportation
8 fieldsNetworkskm
Merchant marine
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT ships by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Military
No regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands)
4 fieldsMilitary branches
no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands)
Military - note
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
Transnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Kiribati.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/kiribati/2001.