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Background:
|
 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. |
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Location:
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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 |
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Geographic coordinates:
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1 25 N, 173 00 E |
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Map references:
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Oceania |
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Area:
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total: 811
sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands,
Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 811 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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four times the
size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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1,143 km |
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Climate:
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tropical; marine,
hot and humid, moderated by trade winds |
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Terrain:
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mostly low-lying
coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m |
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Natural resources:
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phosphate
(production discontinued in 1979) |
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Land use:
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arable land:
0%
permanent crops: 50.68%
other: 49.32% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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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 |
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Environment - current issues:
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heavy pollution
in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed
with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and
open-pit dumping; ground water at risk |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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100,798 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
39.3% (male 20,087; female 19,566)
15-64 years: 57.3% (male 28,523; female 29,280)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,434; female 1,908)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
19.8 years
male: 19.4 years
female: 20.3 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.25% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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30.99
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.49 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
49.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 44.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 55.04 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 61.32 years
male: 58.34 years
female: 64.44 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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Nationality:
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noun:
I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati |
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Ethnic groups:
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predominantly
Micronesian with some Polynesian |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some Seventh-Day
Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church of
God (1999) |
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Languages:
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I-Kiribati,
English (official) |
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Literacy:
|
definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
former: Gilbert Islands
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Tarawa |
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Administrative divisions:
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3 units; Gilbert
Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in addition,
there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands,
Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island
councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang,
Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton,
Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti,
Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina) |
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Independence:
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12 July 1979
(from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
12 July (1979) |
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Constitution:
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12 July 1979 |
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Legal system:
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NA |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the
presidential candidates from among their members and then
those candidates compete in a general election; president is
elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last
held 4 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2007);
vice president appointed by the president
election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%,
Banuera BERINA 9.1%
cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by the president
from among the members of the House of Parliament
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July
2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral House
of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats; 39 elected
by popular vote, one ex officio member - the attorney general,
one appointed to represent Banaba, and one other; members
serve four-year terms)
elections: first round elections last held 29 November
2002; second round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be
held by November 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes
attorney general)
note: new legislative elections were held in two rounds
- the first round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May
2003 |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Appeal;
High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are
appointed by the president |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Boutokaan Te
Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri
Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP
[leader NA]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry
TONG]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized
political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble
factions or interest groups because they have no party
headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
Kiribati does not
have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in
Honolulu |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not
have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall
Islands is accredited to Kiribati |
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Economy - overview:
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A remote country
of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural
resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were
exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979.
Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and
exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years.
Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled
workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from
international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of
GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage of development
as is the expansion of private sector initiatives. Foreign
financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and
China is a critical supplement to GDP, equal to 25%-50% of GDP
in recent years. Remittances from workers abroad account for
more than $5 million each year. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $79 million - supplemented by a nearly equal amount
from external sources (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.5% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $800 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
30%
industry: 7%
services: 63% (1998 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.5% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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7,870
economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001
est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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2%;
underemployment 70% (1992 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$28.4 million
expenditures: $37.2 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
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fishing,
handicrafts |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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0.7% (1991 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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7 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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6.51 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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190 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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copra, taro,
breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish |
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Exports:
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$35 million
f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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copra 62%,
coconuts, seaweed, fish |
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 54.3%,
South Korea 17.1%, Thailand 17.1% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$83 million
c.i.f. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs,
machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods,
fuel |
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Imports - partners:
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France 30.1%,
Australia 27.7%, Fiji 13.3%, Japan 9.6%, US 4.8% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$10 million (1999
est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$15.5 million
largely from UK and Japan (2001 est.) |
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Currency:
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Australian dollar
(AUD) |
|
Currency code:
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AUD |
|
Exchange rates:
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Australian
dollars per US dollar - 1.54 (2003), 1.84 (2002), 1.93 (2001),
1.72 (2000), 1.55 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
|
NA |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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4,500 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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500 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
|
general
assessment: NA
domestic: NA
note: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to
the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network,
which should improve telephone service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Pacific Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 2,
shortwave 1
note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (not reported
to be active) (2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.ki |
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Internet users:
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2,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
|
0 km |
|
Highways:
|
total: 670
km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
|
5 km (small
network of canals in Line Islands) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Banaba, Betio,
English Harbour, Kanton |
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Merchant marine:
|
total: 1
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT
by type: passenger 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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20 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 17
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 4 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no regular
military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement
functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on
all islands) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Military - note:
|
Kiribati does not
have military forces; defense assistance is provided by
Australia and NZ |
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Disputes - international:
|
none |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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