Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Kiribati (2002) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2006)

Compare Kiribati (2002) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2006)

 Kiribati (2002)British Indian Ocean Territory (2006)
 KiribatiBritish Indian Ocean Territory
Administrative divisions 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) -
Age structure 0-14 years: 40.2% (male 19,588; female 19,092)


15-64 years: 56.6% (male 26,905; female 27,625)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 1,339; female 1,786) (2002 est.)
-
Agriculture - products copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish -
Airports 21 (2001) 1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002)
total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 12


under 914 m: 4 (2002)
-
Area total: 811 sq km


land: 811 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
total: 54,400 sq km


land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km


water: 54,340 sq km


note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Area - comparative four times the size of Washington, DC land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
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. Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate 31.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) -
Budget revenues: $28.4 million


expenditures: $37.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (2000 est.) (2000 est.)
-
Capital Tarawa -
Climate tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline 1,143 km 698 km
Constitution 12 July 1979 -
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati


conventional short form: Kiribati


note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss


former: Gilbert Islands
conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory


conventional short form: none


abbreviation: BIOT
Currency Australian dollar (AUD) -
Death rate 8.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) -
Debt - external $10 million (1999 est.) -
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international none Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001 the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1965 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest island in the chain;
Economic aid - recipient $15.5 million (1995), largely from UK and Japan -
Economy - overview A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few national 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. All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The country makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.
Electricity - consumption 6.51 million kWh (2000) NA kWh
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) -
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) -
Electricity - production 7 million kWh (2000) NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues 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 NA
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
-
Ethnic groups predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian -
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (January 2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997) -
Executive branch chief of state: President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President Beniamina TIINGA (since NA December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President Beniamina TIINGA (since NA December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament


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 25 February 2003 (next to be held by November 2007); vice president appointed by the president


election results: Teburoro TITO reelected president; percent of vote - Teburoro TITO 50.4%, Taberannang TIMEON 48.4%, Bakeua Bakeua TEKITA 1.2%
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK


cabinet: NA


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports $6 million f.o.b. (1998) -
Exports - commodities copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish -
Exports - partners Japan, Bangladesh, US, Australia, Brazil, Poland (2000) -
Fiscal year NA -
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 white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP purchasing power parity - $79 million (2001 est.), supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources (2001 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 30%


industry: 7%


services: 63% (1998 est.)
-
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $840 (2001 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 1.5% (2001 est.) -
Geographic coordinates 1 25 N, 173 00 E 6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E
Geography - note 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 archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Highways total: 670 km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km


note: 27 km are paved in South Tarawa (2001)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
-
Imports $44 million c.i.f. (1999) -
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel -
Imports - partners Australia, Japan, Fiji, Poland, US (2000) -
Independence 12 July 1979 (from UK) -
Industrial production growth rate 0.7% (1991 est.) -
Industries fishing, handicrafts -
Infant mortality rate 52.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) -
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.5% (2001 est.) -
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant) -
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land NA sq km 0 sq km
Judicial branch Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president -
Labor force 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985 est.) -
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 50.68%


other: 49.32% (1998 est.)
arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (2005)
Languages I-Kiribati, English (official) -
Legal system NA the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch 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)
-
Life expectancy at birth total population: 60.54 years


male: 57.61 years


female: 63.62 years (2002 est.)
-
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
-
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 archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references Oceania Political Map of the World
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT


ships by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2002 est.)
-
Military - note Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% -
National holiday Independence Day, 12 July (1979) -
Nationality noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)


adjective: I-Kiribati
-
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 NA
Natural resources phosphate (production discontinued in 1979) coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) -
Political parties and leaders Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; 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
-
Political pressure groups and leaders NA -
Population 96,335 (July 2002 est.) no indigenous inhabitants


note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% -
Population growth rate 2.28% (2002 est.) -
Ports and harbors Banaba, Betio, English Harbour, Kanton -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1


note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 17,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km -
Religions Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church of God (1999) -
Sex ratio 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 (2002 est.)
-
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal -
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)


note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service
general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available


domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet


international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use 3,800 (1999) NA
Telephones - mobile cellular NA -
Television broadcast stations 1 (not reported to be active) (2002) 1 (1997)
Terrain mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate 4.32 children born/woman (2002 est.) -
Unemployment rate 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.) -
Waterways 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) -
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.