KIRIBATI                                                                        
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 717 km2; land area: 717 km2; includes three island                  
groups--Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands                          
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of                     
Washington, DC                                                                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
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                                                                           
                                                                                
Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)                  
                                                                                
Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 51%; meadows and                   
pastures 0%; forest and woodland 3%; other 46%                                  
                                                                                
Environment: typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to               
March; 20 of the 33 islands are inhabited                                       
                                                                                
Note: 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                                                                          
Population: 71,137 (July 1991), growth rate 1.6% (1991)                         
                                                                                
Birth rate: 33 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 63 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 58 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 4.2 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--I-Kiribati (sing., pl.); adjective--I-Kiribati               
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Micronesian                                                   
                                                                                
Religion: Roman Catholic 52.6%, Protestant (Congregational) 40.9%,              
Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985)                  
                                                                                
Language: English (official), Gilbertese                                        
                                                                                
Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)                                            
                                                                                
Labor force: 7,870 economically active (1985 est.)                              
                                                                                
Organized labor: Kiribati Trades Union Congress--2,500 members                  
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Republic of Kiribati; note--pronounced Kiribas                  
                                                                                
Type: republic                                                                  
                                                                                
Capital: Tarawa                                                                 
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,               
Phoenix Islands; note--a new administrative structure of 6 districts            
(Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern  Gilberts, Southern           
Gilberts, Tarawa) may have been changed to 20 island councils (one for          
each of the inhabited islands) named Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae,         
Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei,            
Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina         
                                                                                
Independence: 12 July 1979 (from UK; formerly Gilbert Islands)                  
                                                                                
Constitution: 12 July 1979                                                      
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1979)                              
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet                            
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (Maneaba Ni                    
Maungatabu)                                                                     
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, High Court                                    
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Ieremia TABAI                  
(since 12 July 1979); Vice President Teatao TEANNAKI (since 20 July 1979)       
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Gilbertese National Party;                                                      
Christian Democratic Party, Teburoro TITO, secretary;                           
essentially not organized on the basis of political parties                     
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
President--last held on 12 May 1987 (next to be held May 1991);                 
results--Ieremia TABAI 50.1%, Tebruroro TITO 42.7%, Tetao                       
TEANNAKI 7.2%;                                                                  
                                                                                
House of Assembly--last held on 19 March l987 (next to be held                  
May 1991); results--percent of vote by party NA;                                
seats--(40 total; 39 elected) percent of seats by party NA                      
                                                                                
Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP (associate), IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,                  
IDA, IFC, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO                        
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador (vacant) lives in Tarawa                  
(Kiribati);                                                                     
                                                                                
US--none                                                                        
                                                                                
Flag: 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                                                                         
Overview: The country has few national resources. Commercially                  
viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence            
in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports.       
The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Real GDP declined            
about 8% in 1987, as the fish catch fell sharply to only one-fourth the         
level of 1986 and copra production was hampered by repeated rains. Output       
rebounded strongly in 1988, with real GDP growing by 17%. The upturn in         
economic growth came from an increase in copra production and a good fish       
catch. Following the strong surge in output in 1988, GNP increased 1%           
in 1989 and again in 1990.                                                      
                                                                                
GDP: $36.8 million, per capita $525; real growth rate 1.0% (1990                
est.)                                                                           
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.0% (1990 est.)                              
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 2% (1985); considerable underemployment                      
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $29.9 million; expenditures $16.3 million,                     
including capital expenditures of $14.0 million (1990 est.)                     
                                                                                
Exports: $5.8 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--fish 55%, copra 42%;                                               
                                                                                
partners--EC 20%, Marshall Islands 12%, US 8%, American                         
Samoa 4% (1985)                                                                 
                                                                                
Imports: $26.7 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);                                     
                                                                                
commodities--foodstuffs, fuel, transportation equipment;                        
                                                                                
partners--Australia 39%, Japan 21%, NZ 6%, UK 6%, US 3% (1985)                  
                                                                                
External debt: $2.0 million (December 1989 est.)                                
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 0.0% (1988 est.); accounts                   
for less than 4% of GDP                                                         
                                                                                
Electricity: 5,000 kW capacity; 13 million kWh produced,                        
190 kWh per capita (1990)                                                       
                                                                                
Industries: fishing, handicrafts                                                
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP (including fishing); copra                 
and fish contribute about 95% to exports; subsistence farming                   
predominates; food crops--taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables;         
not self-sufficient in food                                                     
                                                                                
Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral                 
commitments (1970-88), $258 million                                             
                                                                                
Currency: Australian dollar (plural--dollars);                                  
1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents                                            
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.2834 (January               
1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905       
(1986), 1.4269 (1985)                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: NA                                                                 
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Highways: 640 km of motorable roads                                             
                                                                                
Inland waterways: small network of canals, totaling 5 km, in Line               
Islands                                                                         
                                                                                
Ports: Banaba and Betio (Tarawa)                                                
                                                                                
Civil air: 2 Trislanders; no major transport aircraft                           
                                                                                
Airports: 22 total; 21 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;                
none with runways over 2,439 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m                    
                                                                                
Telecommunications: 1,400 telephones; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV;             
1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station                                          
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: no military force maintained; the Police Force carries                
out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; there are small          
police posts on all islands                                                     
                                                                                
Manpower availability: NA                                                       
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP                                           
                                                                                
