Kiribati

• Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator, as well as the International Date Line;
• the capital Tarawa is about half way between Hawaii and Australia

• typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;
• occasional tornadoes;
• low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• 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;
• Kiribati is the only country in the world to fall into all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern, and western)

noun:

I-Kiribati (singular and plural)

adjective:

I-Kiribati

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.64 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

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

name:

Tarawa

geographic coordinates:

1 19 N, 172 58 E

time difference:

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

note: on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory was in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction were on the other side of the International Date Line

• 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)

chief of state:

• President Anote TONG (since 10 July 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; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election;
• president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms);
• election last held on 17 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011);
• vice president appointed by the president

election results:

Anote TONG 63.7%, Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%

• Court of Appeal;
• High Court;
• 26 Magistrates' courts;
• judges at all levels are appointed by the president

• Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON];
• Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO];
• Maurin 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

• 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 Pacific ocean;
• the white stripes represent the three island groups - the Gilbert, Line, and Phoenix Islands;
• the 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and Banaba (formerly Ocean Island);
• the frigate bird symbolizes authority and freedom

name:

"Teirake kaini Kiribati" (Stand Up, Kiribati)

lyrics/music:

Urium Tamuera IOTEBA

note: adopted 1979

agriculture:

2.7%

industry:

32%

services:

65.3% (2000)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

generally good quality national and 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)

• 1 television broadcast station that provides about 1 hour of local programming Monday-Friday;
• multi-channel TV packages provide access to Australian and US stations;
• 1 government-operated radio station broadcasting on AM, FM, and shortwave (2009)

males age 16-49:

18,364

females age 16-49:

20,302 (2010 est.)

male:

1,132

female:

1,120 (2010 est.)

current situation:

• Kiribati is a source country for girls subjected to sex trafficking;
• crew members on Korean and perhaps other foreign fishing vessels in Kiribati or in its territorial waters exploit prostituted children on board their vessels

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Kiribati does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making efforts to do so;
• the government does not define labor or sex trafficking offenses in Kiribati law, makes no efforts to proactively identify victims of trafficking or establish formal procedures for the identification of trafficking victims, nor does it refer these victims to protective services, investigate or prosecute any suspected trafficking offenders, or work with NGOs or international organizations to provide protective services to victims (2011)