Kiribati
ETYMOLOGY: The name Kiribati is a transformation of English Gilbert Islands 'Gilbert
Islands'.
OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Kiribati
CAPITAL CITY: Bairiki
POPULATION: 105,000 (2007)
AREA: 811 km²
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE (S): English, Kiribati (Gilbertese)
RELIGION: Catholics 54%, Protestants 39%, Baha'is 2%, Adventists 2%, Mormons 2%, others
1%
COIN: Australian dollar
CURRENCY CODE: AUD
ENGLISH NAME: Kiribati
INDEPENDENCE: 1979
POPULATION COMPOSITION: micronesers 100%
GDP PER residents: $ 488 (2007)
LIFE EXPECTANCY: men 59 years, women 65 years (2005)
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, HDI: -
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, POSITION: -
INTERNET DOMAIN NAME: .ki
Kiribati, Republic of the Pacific Ocean, which consists of three archipelagos
spread over a vast ocean area on both sides of the equator and across the date
line in the Pacific Ocean. Kiribati is one of the micronations of the world and
in practice hardly a unified entity; part of the population lives in very small,
self-sufficient and extremely isolated communities.
National flag
The flag was introduced at independence in 1979. Its design is similar to the
coat of arms given to the then British Crown Colony Gilbert and Ellice Islands
in 1937. The bird is a frigate bird and symbolizes freedom and power. The rising
sun over the Pacific Ocean refers to the islands' location at the date line.
Geography
Kiribati consists of three separate archipelagos; to the west the Gilbert
Islands, to the east of them the uninhabited Phoenix Islands and to the far
east several of the Line Islands, whose other islands belong to the United
States. With the exception of the phosphate-rich Banaba (formerly Ocean
Island), all the islands are low-lying atolls, coral islands built on
underwater volcanoes. The climate is tropical, characterized by trade winds and
almost without seasons.
The economy was previously completely dominated by the phosphate excavation
at Banaba; it was discontinued in 1979, and after lawsuits, Kiribati received
significant compensation for many years of British mining. The interest on the
compensation is included in the country's development projects, which are
otherwise characterized by foreign aid. Contributions from Kiribati, who work as
sailors and at phosphate excavations on Nauru, also contribute to the
economy. In contrast, agriculture and fisheries are of particular local
importance in the small self-sufficient communities of remote islands. In the
saline soil, only a few plants can be grown: especially coconut, taro, yams and
bananas. Pig farming is very widespread. Part of the sea's resources are
utilized by the USA, Japan and South Korea, which, among other things, fishing
tuna on license.
Kiribati had large population growth throughout the 1990's. The growth takes
place especially in the capital Bairiki on the southern and very densely
populated part of the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands; there were 33,000
residents on Tarawa in 2001. The population is otherwise stagnating on most of
the 20 inhabited islands. In Bairiki, parliament and administration have
seats. One of the seats in parliament is reserved for a representative of
Banaba, whose population was relocated to the island of Rabi in Fiji in 1945 due
to the phosphate excavation on their home island.
- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Kiribati? Check this site to see
population pyramid and resident density about this country.
Language
Ikiribati, also known as kiribati or Gilbertese,
which belongs to the Micronesian language family of the Austronesian language
family, is spoken. English is the official language.
History
The population of Kiribati is linguistically and culturally remarkably
uniform. The first residents came from Southeast Asia 4000-5000 years
ago. From approximately 1000-1400 AD the southern Gilbert Islands were heavily
influenced by immigrants from Samoa. In the 1800's. on a number of islands there
were small kingdoms, which were marked by frequent wars. Despite previous visits
by European sailors, it was not until the early 1800's that the population came
into constant, close contact with the foreign whalers, traders, Christian
missionaries and "blackbirders" who were in search of labor.
In 1892, Britain made the Gilbert and Ellice Islands a protectorate and in
1900 annexed the phosphate island of Ocean Island (Banaba). In 1916 the
protectorate became a crown colony. Thereafter, several islands were
incorporated into the colony. During World War II, Kiribati was occupied by
Japan in 1942-43, and many islands suffered heavy fighting. The subsequent
deployment of American troops greatly helped to establish the modern world in
the life and consciousness of the people. In 1979, Kiribati became an
independent republic.
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