Pacific Magazine > 2007 Pacific Almanac
Kiribati
The Basics
Population: 94,200 (ADB 2006)
Capital: Tarawa
Land Area: 811 sq. km
Political Status and Form of Government: Republic
Languages: I-Kiribati, English (official)
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Number of Islands: 33, 21 of them inhabited
The Numbers
Gross Domestic Product: US$80.2 million (ADB 2006)
Gross Domestic Product per capita: US$851 (2006)
Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 1.1% (2006)
National Budget: US$84.6 million (revenue) 2006
Aid per capita: Aid total: $16.7 million (2004 est.)
Life Expectancy: Male: 62.52 years (2007 est.) Female:
Ethnicity: Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)
Nationality: I-Kiribati
Age Distribution:0-14 years: 38.2%, 15-64 years: 58.4%, 65+: 3.4% (2007 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 2.2% (2007 est.)
People in Power
Head of Government: President Anote Tong (and Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Immigration)
Head of State: President Anote Tong
Cabinet Members: Teima Onorio, Vice President and Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives; Natan Teewe, Finance and Economic Resources; Tetabo Nakara, Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development; Amberoti Nikora, Internal and Social Affairs; Iotebwa Redfern, Labor and Human Development; James Taom, Education; Tawita Temoku, Line and Phoneix Islands (Linnix); Patrick Tatitera, Communications, Transport and Tourism; Kouraiti Beniato, Works and Energy; Dr Kautu Tenano, Health and Medical Services; Taberannang Timeon, Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Representative Body: 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)
Regional Organizations
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, FFA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, SOPAC, Sparteca, SPC, SPREP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCPFC, WHO, WMO
Media & Internet Service Providers
Radio: AM 1, FM 2
Newspaper: 1 government newspaper and one independent, Kiribati Newstar
Telecommunications: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service.
ISP: Telecom Services Kiribati
Recent News
Elected with a commanding 28 MP majority in late 2007 and the remaining MPs divided in three different parties, President Anote Tong is back for a second term with a strong hand for 2008 and beyond. He also told the local media after his election that although the constitution allows a maximum of three terms for presidents, he plans to step down when the current term ends.
Fishing license fees remain Kiribati’s main source of revenue, at about US$27million a year. While most of this revenue is simply for tuna caught in Kiribati’s vast EEZ, plans are in the pipeline to start exporting fresh tuna fish to Honolulu and Japan markets from Kiritimati Island. Tong is also promising to establish a fishing processing plant on Betio Island, the main seaport of entry in Tarawa, to step up local employment and related benefits from fisheries.
A two-prong effort for overseas employment is in motion, with I-Kiribati youth expected to begin working in New Zealand under a new Pacific Islands work scheme, while the government recently signed an agreement with Taiwan for I-Kiribati to get jobs there. I-Kiribati seamen already contribute millions of dollars in remittances, and Tong sees the New Zealand and Taiwan connections as opening the door to much more return for Kiribati. The regional organization SOPAC is evaluating phosphate opportunities in Banaba.
Airlines, Shippers Serving Countrys
Air: Air Marshall Islands, Our Airline, Air Pacific. Domestically, Air Kiribati.
Shippers: Government supply ships, Temotu Shipping Line, Chief Container Service
Main Government Contact
Office of the President
Bairiki, Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati
Sources and Kiribati on the Web
CIA Factbook
www.cia.gov/
Australian Development Office in Kiribati
www.dfat.gov.au/
Asian Development Bank
www.adb.org
Kiribati statistics
www.spc.int/prism/country/ki/ki_index.html
International Monetary Fund
www.imf.org
Map courtesy UH Press, The Pacific Islands; an Encyclopedia
Click map for larger image
