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Compare United Kingdom (2002) - Kiribati (2003)

Compare United Kingdom (2002) z Kiribati (2003)

 United Kingdom (2002)Kiribati (2003)
 United KingdomKiribati
Administrative divisions England - 47 boroughs, 36 counties*, 29 London boroughs**, 12 cities and boroughs***, 10 districts****, 12 cities*****, 3 royal boroughs******; Barking and Dagenham**, Barnet**, Barnsley, Bath and North East Somerset****, Bedfordshire*, Bexley**, Birmingham***, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Bradford***, Brent**, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol*****, Bromley**, Buckinghamshire*, Bury, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire*, Camden**, Cheshire*, Cornwall*, Coventry***, Croydon**, Cumbria*, Darlington, Derby*****, Derbyshire*, Devon*, Doncaster, Dorset*, Dudley, Durham*, Ealing**, East Riding of Yorkshire****, East Sussex*, Enfield**, Essex*, Gateshead, Gloucestershire*, Greenwich**, Hackney**, Halton, Hammersmith and Fulham**, Hampshire*, Haringey**, Harrow**, Hartlepool, Havering**, Herefordshire*, Hertfordshire*, Hillingdon**, Hounslow**, Isle of Wight*, Islington**, Kensington and Chelsea******, Kent*, City of Kingston upon Hull*****, Kingston upon Thames******, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lambeth**, Lancashire*, Leeds***, Leicester*****, Leicestershire*, Lewisham**, Lincolnshire*, Liverpool***, City of London*****, Luton, Manchester***, Medway, Merton**, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne***, Newham**, Norfolk*, Northamptonshire*, North East Lincolnshire****, North Lincolnshire****, North Somerset****, North Tyneside, Northumberland*, North Yorkshire*, Nottingham*****, Nottinghamshire*, Oldham, Oxfordshire*, Peterborough*****, Plymouth*****, Poole, Portsmouth*****, Reading, Redbridge**, Redcar and Cleveland, Richmond upon Thames**, Rochdale, Rotherham, Rutland****, Salford***, Shropshire*, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield***, Slough, Solihull, Somerset*, Southampton*****, Southend-on-Sea, South Gloucestershire****, South Tyneside, Southwark**, Staffordshire*, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent*****, Suffolk*, Sunderland***, Surrey*, Sutton**, Swindon, Tameside, Telford and Wrekin****, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets**, Trafford, Wakefield***, Walsall, Waltham Forest**, Wandsworth**, Warrington, Warwickshire*, West Berkshire****, Westminster***, West Sussex*, Wigan, Wiltshire*, Windsor and Maidenhead******, Wirral, Wokingham****, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire*, York*****; Northern Ireland - 24 districts, 2 cities*, 6 counties**; Antrim, County Antrim**, Ards, Armagh, County Armagh**, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast*, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, County Down**, Dungannon, Fermanagh, County Fermanagh**, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, County Londonderry**, Derry*, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane, County Tyrone**; Scotland - 32 council areas; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), West Lothian; Wales - 11 county boroughs, 9 counties*, 2 cities and counties**; Isle of Anglesey*, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff**, Ceredigion*, Carmarthenshire*, Conwy, Denbighshire*, Flintshire*, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire*, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire*, Powys*, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea**, Torfaen, The Vale of Glamorgan*, Wrexham 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: 18.7% (male 5,732,385; female 5,443,900)


15-64 years: 65.5% (male 19,803,478; female 19,381,734)


65 years and over: 15.8% (male 3,931,463; female 5,485,042) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 39.7% (male 19,839; female 19,333)


15-64 years: 57% (male 27,705; female 28,438)


65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,385; female 1,849) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Airports 470 (2001) 20 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 334


over 3,047 m: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 33


1,524 to 2,437 m: 151


914 to 1,523 m: 83


under 914 m: 59 (2002)
total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 136


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 22


under 914 m: 112 (2002)
total: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 12


under 914 m: 4 (2002)
Area total: 244,820 sq km


land: 241,590 sq km


water: 3,230 sq km


note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
total: 811 sq km


land: 811 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Oregon four times the size of Washington, DC
Background Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the European Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999. 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.
Birth rate 11.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 31.24 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $565 billion


expenditures: $540 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY01)
revenues: $28.4 million


expenditures: $37.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital London Tarawa
Climate temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline 12,429 km 1,143 km
Constitution unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice 12 July 1979
Country name conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland


conventional short form: United Kingdom


abbreviation: UK
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati


conventional short form: Kiribati


note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss


former: Gilbert Islands
Currency British pound (GBP) Australian dollar (AUD)
Death rate 10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 8.63 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $NA $10 million (1999 est.)
Dependent areas Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands -
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador William S. FARISH


embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A1AE


mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040


telephone: [44] (0) 207499-9000 (switchboard)


FAX: [44] (0) 207 629-8288


consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Christopher J. R. MEYER


chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500


FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco


consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, and Seattle
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Disputes - international Spain and UK are discussing "total shared sovereignty" over Gibraltar, subject to a constitutional referendum by Gibraltarians, who have largely expressed opposition to any form of cession to Spain; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; Argentina claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark and Iceland; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM none
Economic aid - donor ODA, $4.5 billion (2000) -
Economic aid - recipient - $15.5 million largely from UK and Japan (1995)
Economy - overview The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth slipped in 2001-02 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Still, the economy is one of the strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low. The relatively good economic performance has complicated the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The Prime Minister has pledged to hold a public referendum if membership meets Chancellor of the Exchequer BROWN's five economic "tests." Scheduled for assessment by mid-2003, the tests will determine whether joining EMU would have a positive effect on British investment, employment, and growth. Critics point out, however, that the economy is thriving outside of EMU, and they point to public opinion polls that continue to show a majority of Britons opposed to the single currency. Meantime, the government has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health services, at a cost in higher taxes. 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.
Electricity - consumption 345.03 billion kWh (2000) 6.51 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 134 million kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 14.308 billion kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 355.76 billion kWh (2000) 7 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 73%


hydro: 1%


nuclear: 23%


other: 2% (2000)
fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Fenland -4 m


highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Environment - current issues continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move towards a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the Government aims to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3% 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
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
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 English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8% predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian
Exchange rates British pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997) Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.84 (2002), 1.93 (2001), 1.72 (2000), 1.55 (1999), 1.59 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)


head of government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997)


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister


elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister
chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President NA; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President NA; 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 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%
Exports $286.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners EU 58.1% (Germany 12.5%, France 10.2%, Netherlands 7.7%, Ireland 7.3%), US 15.4% (2001) Japan 56.7%, Thailand 16.6%, South Korea 16.3% (2002)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March NA
Flag description blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) and which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas territories 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $1.52 trillion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $79 million - supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1%


industry: 25%


services: 74% (2000)
agriculture: 30%


industry: 7%


services: 63% (1998 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $25,300 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.6% (2002 est.) 1.5% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 54 00 N, 2 00 W 1 25 N, 173 00 E
Geography - note lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters 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
Heliports 11 (2002) -
Highways total: 371,603 km


paved: 371,603 km (including 3,303 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)
total: 670 km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 28% (1995)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; major consumer of synthetic drugs, producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center -
Imports $330.1 billion f.o.b. (2002) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Imports - partners EU 51.7% (Germany 12.7%, France 8.6%, Netherlands 6.7%, Benelux 5.1%), US 13.2% (2001) France 28.7%, Australia 26.3%, Fiji 12.5%, Japan 9.5%, Latvia 5.4%, US 4.6%, New Zealand 4% (2002)
Independence England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927 12 July 1979 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate -3.4% (2002 est.) 0.7% (1991 est.)
Industries machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods fishing, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 51.26 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 56.45 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 45.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.1% (2002 est.) 2.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC 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) more than 400 (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 1,080 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Labor force 29.7 million (2001) 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 1%, industry 25%, services 74% (1999) -
Land boundaries total: 360 km


border countries: Ireland 360 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 26.41%


permanent crops: 0.18%


other: 73.41% (1998 est.)
arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 50.68%


other: 49.32% (1998 est.)
Languages English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) I-Kiribati, English (official)
Legal system common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; British courts and legislation are increasingly subject to review by European Union courts NA
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)


elections: House of Lords - no elections (some proposals for further reform include elections); House of Commons - last held 7 June 2001 (next to be held by NA May 2006)


election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 42.1%, Conservative and Unionist 32.7%, Liberal Democrats 18.8%, other 6.4%; seats by party - Labor 412, Conservative and Unionist 166, Liberal Democrat 52, other 29; note - seating as of 15 February 2002: Labor 410, Conservative 164, Liberal Democrats 53, other 32


note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Parliament (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and was twice rescinded before reinstatement in November 2001); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.99 years


male: 75.29 years


female: 80.84 years (2002 est.)
total population: 60.93 years


male: 57.97 years


female: 64.03 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling


total population: 99% (2000 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France 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
Map references Europe Oceania
Maritime claims continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries


exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total: 212 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,308,232 GRT/4,171,757 DWT


ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 32, chemical tanker 13, combination ore/oil 1, container 53, liquefied gas 3, passenger 13, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 48, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 26, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 1


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Bermuda 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 21, Germany 6, Greece 3, Hong Kong 4, Italy 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Russia 1, South Africa 2, Sweden 11, Taiwan 2, United States 5 (2002 est.)
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 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
Military branches Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), Royal Air Force 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 $31.7 billion (2002) $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.32% (2002) NA%
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 14,632,418 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 12,151,734 (2002 est.) -
National holiday Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, celebrated on the second Saturday in June (1926) Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Nationality noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)


adjective: British
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)


adjective: I-Kiribati
Natural hazards winter windstorms; floods 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
Natural resources coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Net migration rate 1.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km -
Political parties and leaders Conservative and Unionist Party [Iain DUNCAN SMITH]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) BLAIR]; Liberal Democrats [Charles KENNEDY]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [John SWINNEY]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE] 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
Political pressure groups and leaders Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress NA
Population 59,778,002 (July 2002 est.) 98,549 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 17% NA%
Population growth rate 0.21% (2002 est.) 2.26% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport, Tyne Banaba, Betio, English Harbour, Kanton
Radio broadcast stations AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1


note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)
Radios 84.5 million (1997) -
Railways total: 16,878 km


standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591 km double- or multiple-tracked)


broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double-tracked)


note: all 1.600-m gauge track is in common carrier service in Northern Ireland (1996)
0 km
Religions Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000 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: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
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 (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system


domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems


international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
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
Telephones - main lines in use 34.878 million (1997) 3,800 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular 43.5 million (yearend 1998) NA
Television broadcast stations 228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995) 1 (not reported to be active) (2002)
Terrain mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Total fertility rate 1.73 children born/woman (2002 est.) 4.28 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.2% (2002 est.) 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Waterways 3,200 km 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands)
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