| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands |
| Capital: |
Tarawa |
| 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 |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
1 25 N, 173 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 811 sq km
land: 811 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: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds |
| Terrain: |
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979) |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
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 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; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its 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
election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA 9.1% |
| 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)
elections: first round elections last held 29 November 2002; second round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be held by November 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
note: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president |
| 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 |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
103,092 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 38.9% (male 20,342/female 19,806)
15-64 years: 57.7% (male 29,362/female 30,136)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,477/female 1,969) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 20.05 years
male: 19.61 years
female: 20.58 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati |
| Ethnic groups: |
predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church of God (1999) |
| Languages: |
I-Kiribati, English (official) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
4,500 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
500 (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: generally good quality national and international service
domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati; 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) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1
note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (not reported to be active) (2002) |
| Internet country
code: |
.ki |
| Internet hosts: |
|
| Internet users: |
2,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 670 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003) |
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Banaba, Betio, English Harbour, Kanton |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT
by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2005) |
| Airports: |
20 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 17
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
