Kiribati
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati local long form: Republic of Kiribati local short form: Kiribati note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss former: Gilbert Islands |
| Gevernment type | republic |
| Capital |
name: Tarawa
geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 |
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) |
| Internet country code | .ki |
| Ports and terminals | Betio |
| Agriculture products | copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish |
| Industries | fishing, handicrafts |
| Geography |
| 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 |
| Coordinates | 1 25 N, 173 00 E |
| Continent | Oceania |
| Area |
total: 811 sq km
land: 811 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands |
| Boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 1,143 km |
| 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) |
| 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 |
| People |
| Population | 105,432 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of God (1999) |
| Languages | I-Kiribati, English (official) |
