Edition 2003 — Kiribati — World Factbook

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: 39.7% (male 19,839; female 19,333) 15-64 years: 57% (male 27,705; female 28,438) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,385; female 1,849) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish

Airports

20 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 4 (2002) Military Kiribati

Area

land: 811 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
total: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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. Geography Kiribati

Birth rate

31.24 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $37.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $28.4 million

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
former: Gilbert Islands
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss

Currency

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code

AUD

Death rate

8.63 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

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 This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Economic aid - recipient

$15.5 million largely from UK and Japan (1995)

Economy - overview

A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural 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 from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China 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.

Electricity - consumption

6.51 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

7 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 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

Exchange rates

Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.84 (2002), 1.93 (2001), 1.72 (2000), 1.55 (1999), 1.59 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament
chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President NA; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA 9.1%
elections: the House of Parliament 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 4 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2007); vice president appointed by the president
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President NA; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Exports

$6 million f.o.b. (1998)

Exports - commodities

copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish

Exports - partners

Japan 56.7%, Thailand 16.6%, South Korea 16.3% (2002)

Fiscal year

NA Communications 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 Kiribati

GDP

purchasing power parity - $79 million - supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 30%
industry: 7%
services: 63% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $800 (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.5% (2001 est.)

Geographic coordinates

1 25 N, 173 00 E

Geography - note

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 People Kiribati

Government type

republic

Highways

paved: NA km
total: 670 km
unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%

Imports

$44 million c.i.f. (1999)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel

Imports - partners

France 28.7%, Australia 26.3%, Fiji 12.5%, Japan 9.5%, Latvia 5.4%, US 4.6%, New Zealand 4% (2002)

Independence

12 July 1979 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

0.7% (1991 est.)

Industries

fishing, handicrafts

Infant mortality rate

female: 45.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 56.45 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 51.26 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.5% (2001 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, 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) Transportation Kiribati

Irrigated land

NA sq km

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

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0%
other: 49.32% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 50.68%

Languages

I-Kiribati, English (official)

Legal system

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member - the attorney general, one appointed to represent Banaba, and one other; members serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
elections: first round elections last held 29 November 2002; second round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be held by November 2006)
note: new legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003

Life expectancy at birth

female: 64.03 years (2003 est.)
male: 57.97 years
total population: 60.93 years

Literacy

definition: NA
female: NA% Government Kiribati
male: NA%
total population: NA%

Location

Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator; the capital Tarawa is 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

Median age

female: 20.2 years (2002)
male: 19.3 years
total: 19.7 years

Merchant marine

ships by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2002 est.)
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT

Military - note

Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ Transnational Issues Kiribati

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%

National holiday

Independence Day, 12 July (1979)

Nationality

adjective: I-Kiribati
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)

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 (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

190 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP [leader NA]; 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

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

98,549 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

2.26% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Banaba, Betio, English Harbour, Kanton

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1
note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)

Radios

17,000 (1997)

Railways