Kiribati
Country Guide

Explore Kiribati

Kiribati with its capital Tarawa is located in Oceania (Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean). It covers some 812 square kilometers (four times the size of Washington, DC) with a population of 108,145. English is the language spoken by people in Kiribati. There are no land based border this country shares with any other country.

Kiribati is an island group in Micronesia straddling the equator and, until 1995, the International Date Line. Kiribati is most emphatically not another Tahiti, Hawaii, etc. where you can go to relax and have nothing to worry about. It has few visitors, and they have to be prepared to rough it. That said, there aren't many countries where the people are more friendly. South Tarawa is one of the most densely populated, severely poverty-stricken places in the world. Other islands have far fewer people, but getting to them can be difficult, and conditions are even more primitive. Most tourists, especially from the USA, go to Kiritimati (Christmas Island). It received some attention on January 1, 2000 as the first location in the world to experience the new millennium.

Popular Destinations in Kiribati

Administrative regions of Kiribati

• Gilbert Islands
• Line Islands
• Phoenix Islands

About the country

The terrain is mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs. The average density of population is about 133 per km². The climate in Kiribati can be described as tropical with marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds. Possible natural disasters include low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level, occasional tornadoes and typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March.

To reach someone Kiribati dial +686 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 3G, 4G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".ki". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 240 V - 50 Hz (plugs: I). The sign for the locally used currency Dollar is AUD.

The upper half is red with a yellow frigatebird 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 frigatebird symbolizes authority and freedom.

The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. 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

Area
Total (World Rank: 187)	811	sq km
Land (World Rank: 184)	811	sq km
Comparative	four times the size of Washington, DC
Note	includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, and Phoenix Islands - dispersed over about 3.5 million sq km (1.35 million sq mi)
Coastline
1143
Elevation
Highest point (World Rank: 222)	81	m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 101)	42.00	%
Arable (World Rank: 174)	2.50	%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 4)	39.50	%
Map reference
Oceania
Environment
Issues	- ground water at risk - heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping
Agreement party	- Biodiversity - Climate Change - Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol - Desertification - Hazardous Wastes - Law of the Sea - Marine Dumping - Ozone Layer Protection - Whaling
Hazzards	- low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level - occasional tornadoes - typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March
Location
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about halfway between Hawaii and Australia
Climate
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

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People

Population
Total (World Rank: 189)	108,145
Deathrate (World Rank: 130)	0.70	%
Birthrate (World Rank: 74)	2.12	%
Growthrate (World Rank: 99)	1.13	%
Migration rate (World Rank: 138)	-0.29	%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 84)	2.39	%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 159)	23.80
Female (World Rank: 154)	25.50
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 188)	16,360
0 14 female (World Rank: 188)	15,734
15 24 male (World Rank: 187)	11,282
15 24 female (World Rank: 187)	11,503
25 54 male (World Rank: 192)	20,300
25 54 female (World Rank: 189)	21,860
55 64 male (World Rank: 206)	2,942
55 64 female (World Rank: 200)	3,590
65 x male (World Rank: 209)	1,802
65 x female (World Rank: 205)	2,772
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 58)	3.21	%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 171)	67	years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 171)	69	years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 171)	64	years
Physicians per 1000 (World Rank: 148)	0.20
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 138)	1.30
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 172)	39.70	%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 8)	46.00	%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 181)	66.90	%

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Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 210)	24,000,000	kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 210)	22,320,000	kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 122)	62.50	%
Source renew (World Rank: 6)	37.50	%
Refined products
Consumption (World Rank: 209)	400	bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 204)	510	bbl / day
Natural gas
Consumption (World Rank: 143)	15	m³
Carbon footprint
58450

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Nation

Budget
Health (World Rank: 23)	10	% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 3)	11	% of GDP
National symbol
frigatebird
National colours
yellow
Adjective
I-Kiribati
Noun
I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
Background
The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. 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.
Flag description
the upper half is red with a yellow frigatebird 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 frigatebird symbolizes authority and freedom

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Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 218)	215,000,000	USD
Real growth rate (World Rank: 57)	4.20	%
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 206)	1,900	USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 26)	26.30	%
Source industry (World Rank: 206)	9.20	%
Source service (World Rank: 94)	64.50	%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 195)	39,000
Products
Industries	- fishing - handicrafts
Agriculture	- breadfruit - copra - fish
Exports	- coconut products - fish
Imports	- equipment - food - fuel - machinery - miscellaneous manufactured goods

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Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 212)	1,000
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 201)	1.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 201)	51.00
Assessment	0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 206)	14,649
Population (World Rank: 198)	13.70	%

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Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 153)	4.00
Airports unpaved (World Rank: 118)	15.00
Road
Total length (World Rank: 192)	670
Water
Total length (World Rank: 109)	5.00

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