Kiribati

Kiribati A country comprising a widely scattered archipelago of 33 islands in the Pacific Ocean, lying either side of the Equator and between longitudes 169° W and 147° E.

Physical

Many of the islands are mere coral atolls not more than 1 km (0.5 mile) across. Kiribati comprises the 16 former Gilbert Islands, eight of the Line Islands, the eight Phoenix Islands, and Ocean Island (Banaba).

Economy

The economy of Kiribati is based on fishing and subsistence farming. The main resource is the coconut palm, from which copra is produced for export. The phosphate deposits on Ocean Island, once a major source of revenue, are now exhausted.

History

Inhabited by Micronesians when sighted by the Spanish in the 16th century, the largest island group was named the Gilbert Islands in the 1820s by the Russian hydrographer Krusenstern. From 1837 European sperm whale hunters and traders began to inhabit the group, over which Britain declared a protectorate in 1892. In 1916 the group was named a crown colony, as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. In 1942 Japanese naval forces occupied the islands, and in 1943 US marines landed and crushed Japanese resistance after fierce fighting. In 1974 the Ellice Islanders voted to secede from the colony, and the Ellice Islands became independent as TUVALU in 1978. The Gilbert Islands became the independent nation of Kiribati in 1979. Falling exports in copra and fish resulted in a trade deficit in 1990 of $24 million, with which the government of Teatao Teannaki (elected May 1991) had to contend. In 1994 Teannaki's government lost a vote of confidence and Teburoro Tito was elected President. The islands are at risk of being submerged if sea levels rise, which is an expected result of global warming. In 1999 the country suffered a severe drought.

Capital:	Bairiki (on Tarawa Atoll)
Area:	811 sq km (313 sq miles)
Population:	84,000 (1998 est)
Currency:	1 Australian dollar = 100 cents
Religions:	Roman Catholic; Protestant
Ethnic Groups:	I-Kiribati (over 97%)
Languages:	English (official); I-Kiribati
International Organizations:	Commonwealth; South Pacific Forum