The Republic of Kiribati is a collection of 33 coral atolls located in the Pacific Ocean. According to the CIA World Factbook, it lies generally halfway between Hawaii and Australia, though more closely near Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Fiji. The nation operates as a republic based on English common law and limited customary law. It is led currently by President Anote Tong (42% support in the last 2012 election, has been in power since 2003). Kiribati is very small, with a total of just 811 sq. kilometers. It includes 3 groups of islands – Gilbert, Line and Phoenix Islands – dispersed across around 3.5 million sq. km. The nation is approximately four times the size of Washington DC. While in a warm and tropical climate, only 2.5~% of the land is arable; the labor force is primarily focused on services (mostly tourism, plus significant foreign aid and remittances from ships) rather than agriculture, etc. It does, however, have a very low unemployment rate of just 2%. Independence from the U.K. was obtained on the 12th of July, 1979.

General Information
Official Name: 
Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati, Ribaberiki Kiribati
Capitol: 
South Tarawa
Population: 
104,400
Languages: 
l-Kiribati, English (official)
Geographic Region: 
Australia & New Zealand
Micronesia
Geographic Size (km sq): 
811
Year of UN Membership: 
1999
Year of Present State Formation: 
1979
Online Profiles
Key Statistics & Indicators
Gross Domestic Product (GDP, Nominal): 
$0.698 Billion
Per Capita Income (PPP Adjusted): 
$6,400 (CID)
GDP Growth: 
2.90 (%)
Human Development Index (HDI): 
0.61
Economic Grouping: 
Developing Country
Least Developed Country
Small Island Developing State
History
International Relations
UN Voting Blocs & Caucuses: 
Group of 77 (G-77)
Asian Group
Major International & Regional Organizations: 
ACP: African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States
ADB: Asian Development Bank
AOSIS: Alliance of Small Island States
Commonwealth of Nations (British)
ICRM: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
IFRCS: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
IOC: International Olympic Committee
ITUC: International Trade Union Confederation
PIF: Pacific Islands Forum
Sparteca: South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement
SPC: Secretariat of the Pacific Communities
UN Specialized Agencies & Organizations: 
CTBTO: Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization
IDA: International Development Association
IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development
IFC: International Finance Corporation
ILO: International Labor Organization
IMF: International Monetary Fund
IMO: International Maritime Organization
ITU: International Telecommunications Union
OPCW: Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UPU: Universal Postal Union
WBG: World Bank Group
WHO: World Health Organization
WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization
WMO: World Meteorological Organization
Bilateral Relations
United Nations Data
Government Sources
UN Mission
800 Second Avenue, Suite 400A
New York, NY 10017
(212) 867-3310
(212) 867-3320

View Another Country