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The constitution promulgated at independence establishes Kiribati as a sovereign democratic republic and guarantees the fundamental rights of its citizens. The unicameral House of Assembly (Maneaba) has 42 members: 40 elected representatives, one appointed member from Banaba island, and the Attorney General on an ex officio basis. All of the members of the Maneaba serve 4-year terms.
Kiribati's per capita GNP of less than U.S. $1,000 makes it one of the poorest countries in the world. Phosphates had been profitably exported from Banaba Island since the turn of the century, but the deposits were exhausted in 1979. The end of phosphate revenue in 1979 had a devastating impact on the economy. Receipts from phosphates had accounted...
The I-Kiribati are a warm, friendly and welcoming people. Visitors and those working in Kiribati are treated with the greatest of respect, Politeness and deference. Canoe racing, volleyball and soccer are all popular on the islands, but more traditional pursuits, such as intricate and beautiful dances - particularly on Tabiteuea - an indigenous martial...
Kiribatians are Micronesians, but recent archeological evidence indicates that the islands were originally settled by Austronesians thousands of years ago. Around the 14th century A.D., the islands were invaded by Fijians and Tongans. Intermarriage led to a population reasonably homogeneous in appearance and traditions. The first recorded European encounter with Kiribati was by the Spanish explorer Quiros in 1606. By the 1820s, all of the islands had been charted. At that time, the Russian hydrographer A.I. Krusenstern gave the group the name Gilbert Islands. Until about 1870, many British and American whaling vessels sought sperm whales in Gilbertese waters. Starting in 1850, trading vessels passed through, seeking first coconut oil and then copra.
Capital: Tarawa. Terrain: Archipelago of low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs. Climate: Hot and humid, moderated by trade winds. Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator and the International Date Line, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Map references: Oceania Area: total area:...
Kiribati (pronounced "keer-ih-bahs") consists of 32 low-lying atolls and one raised island scattered over an expanse of ocean equivalent in size to the continental United States. The islands straddle the Equator and lie roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The three main groupings are the Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands, and Line Islands. In 1995 Kiribati unilaterally moved the International Date Line to include its easternmost islands, making it the same day throughout the country. Kiribati includes Kiritimati (Christmas Island), the largest coral atoll in the world, and Banaba (Ocean Island), one of the three great phosphate islands in the Pacific.
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