Kiribati

Kiribati is made up of three distinct island groups -- the Gilbert Islands, the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands. The first Austronesian voyagers arrived in the Gilbert Islands as early as 3000 B.C., but these islands were not widely settled until about A.D. 200 by Micronesians. Around 1300, Samoans and Tongans invaded the southern Gilbert Islands, then known as Tungaru, bringing Polynesian cultural elements with them. Later arrivals of Fijians brought Melanesian elements to the Gilbert Islands, and extensive intermarriage between the Micronesian, Polynesian, and Melanesian people led to the creation of what would become Gilbertese cultural traditions by the time Europeans spotted the islands in the 1600s. The Phoenix Islands and Line Islands were both visited by various Melanesian and Polynesian peoples, but their isolation and lack of natural resources meant that long-term settlements were not possible. Both island groups were uninhabited by the time of European contact.<br> <br>Kiribati experienced sustained European contact by the 1760s; all three island groups were named and charted by 1826. American whaling ships frequently passed through the islands, and the UK declared a protectorate over the Gilbert and nearby Ellice Islands in 1892, in an attempt to block growing US influence. Phosphate-rich Banaba Island was annexed to the protectorate in 1900. In 1916, the protectorate became a colony, and some Line Islands were added in 1916 and 1919, with the final ones added in 1972. The Phoenix Islands were added to the colony in 1937, and the UK agreed to share jurisdiction of some with the US because of their strategic location for aviation. During World War II, the islands were occupied by Japanese forces but were ejected by US amphibious assaults. The Ellice Islands became its own colony in 1974 and was renamed Tuvalu for “eight standing together” in 1975. The Gilbert Islands became fully self-governing in 1977 and independent in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati, the Gilbertese spelling of Gilberts. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Islands in a 1979 treaty of friendship.<br><br>In 2012, Kiribati purchased a 22 sq km (8.5 sq mi) plot of land in Fiji for potential eventual resettlement of its population because of climate change, and in 2014 Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe BAINIMARAMA said residents of Kiribati would be welcome to relocate to Fiji if their country is swamped by rising sea levels.

Oceania, group of 32 coral atolls and one raised coral island in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about halfway between Hawaii and Australia

1 25 N, 173 00 E

Oceania

four times the size of Washington, D.C.

1,143 km

tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

phosphate (production discontinued in 1979), coconuts (copra), fish

0 sq km (2022)

consists of three archipelagos spread out over an area roughly the size of India; the eastern Line Islands and central Phoenix Islands are sparsely populated, but the western Gilbert Islands are some of the most densely settled places on earth, with the main island of South Tarawa boasting a population density similar to Tokyo or Hong Kong

typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; 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; Kiribati is the only country in the world to fall into all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern, and western)

I-Kiribati 95.78%, I-Kiribati/mixed 3.8%, Tuvaluan 0.2%, other 1.7% (2020 est.)

Gilbertese, English (official)

Roman Catholic 58.9%, Kiribati Uniting Church 21.2%, Kiribati Protestant Church 8.4%, Church of Jesus Christ 5.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.1%, Baha'i 2.1%, other 1.7% (2020 est.)

0.98% (2025 est.)

19.4 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

consists of three archipelagos spread out over an area roughly the size of India; the eastern Line Islands and central Phoenix Islands are sparsely populated, but the western Gilbert Islands are some of the most densely settled places on earth, with the main island of South Tarawa boasting a population density similar to Tokyo or Hong Kong

64,000 TARAWA (capital) (2018)

23.1 years (2009 est.)

80 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

2.13 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.04 (2025 est.)

0.2 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

1.9 beds/1,000 population (2016 est.)

46% (2016)

6.9% (2018 est.)

67.4% (2020 est.)

heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to overcrowding mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; coastal erosion

tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

presidential republic

3 geographical units: Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; there are no first-order administrative divisions, but the 6 districts are Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa, with 21 island councils on Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina

English common law supplemented by customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Boutokaan Kiribati Moa Party or BKM <br>Kiribati Moa Party or KMP<br>Kamanoan Kiribati Party or KKP<br>Tobwaan Kiribati Party or TKP

ABEDA, ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

12 July 1979 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 12 July (1979)

<strong>description:</strong> the upper half is red with a yellow frigatebird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three wavy horizontal white stripes to represent the Pacific Ocean<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the white stripes represent the Gilbert, Line, and Phoenix island groups; the 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and Banaba (formerly Ocean Island); the frigatebird symbolizes authority and freedom

frigatebird

red, white, blue, yellow

lower-middle income, Pacific island economy; environmentally fragile; sizable remittances; key phosphate mining fund; tourism and fishing industries; public sector-dominated economy; recent withdrawal from Pacific Islands Forum; ongoing constitutional crisis

$307.863 million (2024 est.)

coconuts, bananas, vegetables, taro, tropical fruits, pork, chicken, nuts, eggs, pork offal (2023)

fishing, handicrafts

-6.2% (2022 est.)

21.9% (2019 est.)

17.7% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Thailand 85%, Japan 6%, Philippines 3%, UAE 2%, Fiji 1% (2023)

fish, coconut oil (2023)

China 24%, Australia 20%, Fiji 15%, Japan 7%, NZ 6% (2023)

ships, centrifuges, refined petroleum, rice, raw sugar (2023)

multi-channel TV packages provide access to Australian and US stations; 1 government-operated radio station broadcasts on AM, FM, and shortwave (2017)

.ki

T3

21 (2025)

Kiribati Police Service (includes Maritime Police) (2025)

Australia, NZ, and the US have provided security assistance; Kiribati has a "ship rider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Kiribati's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; ship rider agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2025)