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Kiribati Country Guide

Explore Kiribati in Oceania

Kiribati with the capital city South Tarawa is located in Oceania (Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean). It covers some 811 square kilometres (four times the size of Washington, DC) with 110,000 citizens.

Interactive map of Kiribati

The landscape offers mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs. The average density of population is approximately 136 per km². The notable climate conditions in Kiribati can be described as tropical with marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds. Potential threats by nature are typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March or occasional tornadoes or low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level.

To reach someone in Kiribati dial +686 prior to a number. There are 4,000 installed telephones. And there are 1,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".ki". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 240V - 50Hz.

About the flag and history of Kiribati

Kiribati Flag Icon

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.

National administrative regions of Kiribati



Geography Quick-Facts

SummaryContinent: Oceania
Neighbours:
Capital: South Tarawa
Size811 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 313 square miles (mi² or sqmi)
four times the size of Washington, DC
Population110,000
CurrencyName Dollar, Currency Code:AUD
Country Top Level Domain (cTLD).ki
Telephone Country Prefix+686
Mobile Phone Connections1,000
Landline Phone Connections4,000

Country Position in World Rankings

Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).

Geography

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Area811 (sq km)187

People and Society

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Population103,248 194
Population growth rate1.21 (%)96
Birth rate22.18 (births/1,000 population)74
Death rate7.24 (deaths/1,000 population)122
Net migration rate-2.86 (migrant(s)/1,000 population)174
Maternal mortality rate9.00 (deaths/100,000 live births)155
Infant mortality rate36.50 (deaths/1,000 live births)63
Life expectancy at birth65.11 (years)173
Total fertility rate2.63 (children born/woman)77
Health expenditures11.30 (% of GDP)16
Obesity - adult prevalence rate46.00 (%)8
Education expenditures11.60 (% of GDP)4

Economy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
GDP (purchasing power parity)636,300,000 212
GDP - real growth rate2.50 (%)124
GDP - per capita (PPP)6,100 148
Labor force7,870 218
Unemployment rate2.00 (%)15
Taxes and other revenues32.10 (% of GDP)81
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)-29.80 (% of GDP)216
Inflation rate (consumer prices)0.20 (%)5
Current account balance-35,010,000 62
Exports7,066,000 215
Imports80,090,000 216
Debt - external10,000,000 196

Energy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Electricity - production21,000,000 (kWh)213
Electricity - consumption19,530,000 (kWh)213
Electricity - installed generating capacity6,000 (kW)207
Electricity - from fossil fuels100.00 (% of total installed capacity)19
Refined petroleum products - consumption300 (bbl/day)210
Refined petroleum products - imports261 (bbl/day)205
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy43,690 (Mt)207

Communications

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Telephones - main lines in use8,500 201
Telephones - mobile cellular13,800 210
Internet hosts327 190
Internet users7,800 204

Transportation

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Airports19 137
Roadways670 (km)190
Waterways5 (km)108
Merchant marine77 58

Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases

List of current world heritage sites

NameSince
Phoenix Islands Protected Area
The Phoenix Island Protected Area (PIPA) is a 408,250 sq.km expanse of marine and terrestrial habitats in the Southern Pacific Ocean. The property encompasses the Phoenix Island Group, one of three island groups in Kiribati, and is the largest design ...
2010