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Kiribati

Kiribati (/ˌkɪrɪˈbæs/ KIRR-ih-BASS),[8] officially the Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati (Gilbertese: [Ribaberiki] Kiribati),[9][10][11] is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, with more than half living on Tarawa atoll. The state comprises 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island, Banaba. Its total land area is 811 km2 (313 sq mi)[12] dispersed over 3,441,810 km2 (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean.

For other uses, see Kiribati (disambiguation).

Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati
Kiribati (Gilbertese)

12 July 1979

20 September 1979

811.19[3] km2 (313.20 sq mi) (172nd)

121,388 (192nd)

151.9/km2 (393.4/sq mi) (55th)

2023 estimate

Increase $297 million

Increase $2,381[5]

2023 estimate

Increase $248 million

Increase $1,989[5]

Decrease 0.624[6]
medium (136th)

The islands' spread straddles the equator and the 180th meridian, although 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.


Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming a sovereign state in 1979. The capital, South 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 had exported phosphate, but those mines are no longer viable. Fisheries and export of copra drive much of the economy. Kiribati is one of the least developed countries in the world and is highly dependent on international aid for its economy.


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.[13][14][15] As an island nation, the islands are vulnerable to climate change and tsunamis. Addressing climate change has been a central part of its international policy, as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States.

Gilbert Islands

in one of the largest marine protected areas on Earth (was the largest from 2008 to 2010)[96]

Phoenix Islands

Line Islands

Banaba: an isolated island between and the Gilbert Islands

Nauru

Gilbert Islands: 16 atolls located some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) north of

Fiji

Phoenix Islands: 8 atolls and coral islands located some 1,800 kilometres (1,118 mi) southeast of the Gilberts

Line Islands: 8 atolls and one reef, located about 3,300 kilometres (2,051 mi) east of the Gilberts

Preschool for childhood from 1 to 5 years;

Primary school (Class 1 to 6) from 6 to 11 years;

Junior secondary school (Form 1 to 3) from 12 to 14;

Senior secondary school (Form 4 to 7) from 15 to 18.

List of towns and villages in Kiribati

Outline of Kiribati

from World Maps

Map of Kiribati

Kiribati National Tourism Office

Parliament of Kiribati

Archived 2 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine

Kiribati National Climate Change Portal

(archived 6 May 2009)

Chief of State and Cabinet Members