2001 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2001 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
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)
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.)
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
Background
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. Kiribati Geography
Birth rate
31.98 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Capital
Tarawa
Climate
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline
1,143 km
Constitution
12 July 1979
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati conventional short form: Kiribati note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss former: Gilbert Islands
Death rate
8.88 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
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
Ethnic groups
predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian
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
Geographic coordinates
1 25 N, 173 00 E
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 Kiribati People
Government type
republic
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA%
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Independence
12 July 1979 (from UK)
Infant mortality rate
54 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 51% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 3% other: 46% (1993 est.)
Languages
English (official), I-Kiribati
Legal system
NA
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 60.16 years male: 57.25 years female: 63.22 years (2001 est.)
Literacy
definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Kiribati Government
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 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
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
National holiday
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Nationality
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural) adjective: I-Kiribati
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
Natural resources
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Population
94,149 (July 2001 est.)
Population growth rate
2.31% (2001 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 54%, Protestant (Congregational) 30%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church of God (1996)
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.)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Terrain
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Total fertility rate
4.36 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Government
Agriculture - products
copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Airports
21 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) Kiribati Military
Budget
revenues: $33.3 million expenditures: $47.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (1996 est.)
Currency
Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code
AUD
Debt - external
$10 million (1999 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US
the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati
Diplomatic representation in the US
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Disputes - international
none
Economic aid - recipient
$15.5 million (1995), largely from UK and Japan
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.
Electricity - consumption
6.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production
7 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)
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)
Exports
$6 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners
Bangladesh, Australia, US, Hong Kong (1999)
Fiscal year
NA Kiribati Communications
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 Kiribati Economy
GDP
purchasing power parity - $76 million (2000 est.), supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 14% industry: 7% services: 79% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $850 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
1% (2000 est.)
Highways
total: 670 km (1996) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$44 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Imports - partners
Australia, Fiji, Japan, NZ, China (1999)
Industrial production growth rate
0.7% (1992 est.)
Industries
fishing, handicrafts
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2% (1999 est.)
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)
Internet country code
.ki
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
1,000 (2000) Kiribati Transportation
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Labor force
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985 est.)
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
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 - note
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ Kiribati Transnational Issues
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%
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
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
Population below poverty line
NA%
Ports and harbors
Banaba, Betio, English Harbor, Kanton
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios
17,000 (1997)
Railways
0 km
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
Telephones - main lines in use
2,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular
NA
Television broadcast stations
1 (1997)
Televisions
1,000 (1997)
Unemployment rate
2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Waterways
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands)