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2 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Kiribati
n : an island republic in the west central Pacific just south of
the equator [syn: {Republic of Kiribati}]
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Kiribati
Introduction Kiribati
---------------------
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
------------------
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
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 811 sq km
note: includes three island groups -
Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 811 sq km
Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,143 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; marine, hot and humid,
moderated by trade winds
Terrain: mostly low-lying coral atolls
surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on
Banaba 81 m
Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued
in 1979)
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 50.68%
other: 49.32% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
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
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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
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
---------------
Population: 96,335 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.2% (male 19,588;
female 19,092)
15-64 years: 56.6% (male 26,905;
female 27,625)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 1,339;
female 1,786) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.28% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 31.58 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 8.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
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 (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 52.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.54 years
female: 63.62 years (2002 est.)
male: 57.61 years
Total fertility rate: 4.32 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
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)
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government Kiribati
-------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
former: Gilbert Islands
note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss
Government type: republic
Capital: Tarawa
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)
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 Teburoro
TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice
President Beniamina TIINGA (since NA
December 2000); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head
of government
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 27
November 1998 (next to be held by
November 2002); vice president
appointed by the president
election results: Teburoro TITO
reelected president; percent of vote
- Teburoro TITO 52.3%, Dr. Harry
TONG 45.8%, Amberoti NIKORA 1.9%,
Taberannang TIMEON 0%
cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed
by the president from among the
members of the House of Parliament
head of government: President
Teburoro TITO (since 1 October
1994); Vice President Beniamina
TIINGA (since NA December 2000);
note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of
government
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: last held 23 September
1998 (next to be held by October
2002)
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party -
Maneaban Te Mauri Party 14, National
Progressive Party 11, independents
14
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; High Court; 26
Magistrates' courts; judges at all
levels are appointed by the
president
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 NA
leaders:
International organization ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD,
participation: ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC,
SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO
(applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Kiribati does not have an embassy in
the US; there is an honorary
consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the the US does not have an embassy in
US: Kiribati; the ambassador to the
Marshall Islands is accredited to
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
----------------
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,
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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $79
million (2001 est.), supplemented by
a nearly equal amount from external
sources
GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $840 (2001
est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 7%
services: 63% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 7,870 economically active, not
including subsistence farmers (1985
est.)
Unemployment rate: 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Budget: revenues: $28.4 million
expenditures: $37.2 million,
including capital expenditures of
$NA million (2000 est.)
Industries: fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1991 est.)
Electricity - production: 7 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 6.51 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet
potatoes, vegetables; fish
Exports: $6 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners: Japan, Bangladesh, US, Australia,
Brazil, Poland (2000)
Imports: $44 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment,
miscellaneous manufactured goods,
fuel
Imports - partners: Australia, Japan, Fiji, Poland, US
(2000)
Debt - external: $10 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $15.5 million (1995), largely from
UK and Japan
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code: AUD
Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar -
1.9354 (January 2002), 1.9320
(2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497
(1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997)
Fiscal year: NA
Communications Kiribati
-----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 3,800 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1
note: the FM and shortwave stations
may be inactive (2002)
Radios: 17,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (not reported to be active) (2002)
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .ki
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Transportation Kiribati
-----------------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 670 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: 27 km are paved in South
Tarawa (2001)
Waterways: 5 km (small network of canals in
Line Islands)
Ports and harbors: Banaba, Betio, English Harbour,
Kanton
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT
ships by type: passenger/cargo 1
(2002 est.)
Airports: 21 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 4 (2001)
Military 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 $NA
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of NA%
GDP:
Military - note: Kiribati does not have military
forces; defense assistance is
provided by Australia and NZ
Transnational Issues Kiribati
-----------------------------
Disputes - international: none
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