Kiribati

Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia sub-region of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. The state comprises 32 atolls and other islands and one remote raised coral island, Banaba. Its total land area is 811 km2 (313 sq mi) dispersed over 3,441,810 km2 (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean. The spread of the country's islands, from Banaba in the west to Kiritimati in the east straddles the equator and the 180th meridian. The International Date Line goes around Kiribati and swings far to the east, almost reaching 150°W. This brings Kiribati's easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands south of Hawaii, into the same day as the Gilbert Islands and places them in the most advanced time zone on Earth: UTC+14. The permanent population of Kiribati is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. There is also a significant number of I-Kiribati forming a diaspora, the largest of which still growing via emigration is probably in New Zealand; historically, diasporic communities were created through over-population resettlement in the Solomon Islands on Ghizo and Wagina, and through intermarriage in the United Kingdom and United States. Another country with growing diasporic communities born of recent labour immigration is Australia. The Gilberts were politically autonomous of each other, more or less, and anywhere else, until annexed as a protectorate in 1892 by the British; they had no political connection then with the Phoenix or Line islands. This annexation was ended in 1979, when Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming a sovereign state in 1979. The sovereign state included the Gilberts, the Phoenix and Line islands and Banaba. The capital, Tarawa, now the most populated area, consists of a number of islets, connected by a series of causeways. These comprise about half the area of Tarawa Atoll. Prior to its independence the country exported phosphate, but the mine, on Banaba, is virtually exhausted and no longer viable. The descendants of the Banabans mostly live in exile on Rabi in Fiji but are represented in the Kiribati Parliament. Fisheries, subsistence agriculture and the export of copra drive much of the economy, particularly on outer islands away from Tarawa. Kiribati is one of the least developed countries in the world and its government is highly dependent on fishing licence fees from foreign fleets and international capital aid to finance infrastructure and other projects. Many families rely on remittances from circular labour migrants (seafarers, agricultural workers, urban service workers). They also work for the government or for private business and non-business organisations, or run trade stores and small private cooperative-like businesses. The government now pays benefits to the unemployed on Tarawa and to the elderly. Kiribati is a member of the Pacific Community, Commonwealth of Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, and became a full member of the United Nations in 1999. As an atoll (and other low-lying island) nation, Kiribati is acutely vulnerable to sea-level rise and climate change. This is in addition to threats from tsunamis since time-immemorial. Addressing climate change has been a central part of its international policy, as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States. In Kiribati, climate change and extreme weather events are predicted to become more frequent. Additionally, existing socio-economic and environmental pressures are intensifying.

Infobox

Capital

Tarawa 1°28′N 173°2′E / 1.467°N 173.033°E / 1.467; 173.033

Official languages

mw- EnglishGilbertese

Ethnic groups (2020 census)

95.7% Gilbertese 4.3% other

Religion (2020 census)

mw- li 96.2% Christianity 58.9% Catholic Church 21.2% Uniting Church 16.1% other Christian 2.1% Baháʼí Faith1.7% other / none

Demonym

I-Kiribati

Government

Unitary presidential parliamentary republic

• President

Taneti Maamau

• Vice-President

Teuea Toatu

• Speaker of the House of Assembly

Willie Tokataake

Legislature

House of Assembly

• Granted

12 July 1979

• Treaty of Tarawa

20 September 1979

• Total

$248 million

• 2021 estimate

121,388 (192nd)

• 2024 census

119,438

• Density

149.64/km2 (387.6/sq mi)

GDP (PPP)

2023 estimate

• Per capita

$1,989

GDP (nominal)

2023 estimate

Gini (2019)

27.8 } }low inequality

HDI (2023)

0.644medium (140th)

Currency

Australian dollar ($) (AUD)

Time zone

UTC 12, 13, 14

Calling code

686

ISO 3166 code

Internet TLD