Location:
Oceania, group of 32 coral atolls and one raised coral island in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about halfway between Hawaii and Australia
Geographic coordinates:
1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 811 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 811 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, and Phoenix Islands - dispersed over about 3.5 million sq km (1.35 million sq mi)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
187
Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,143 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12
nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200
nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
Climate:
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation:
mean elevation: 2 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
unnamed elevation on Banaba 81 m m
Natural resources:
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979), coconuts (copra), fish
Land use:
agricultural land: 42%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 2.5%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 39.5%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 0%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 15%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 43%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
(2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
Population distribution:
consists of three achipelagos spread out over an area roughly the size of India; the eastern Line Islands and central Phoenix Islands are sparsely populated, but the western Gilbert Islands are some of the most densely settled places on earth, with the main island of South Tarawa boasting a population density similar to Tokyo or Hong Kong
Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level
Environment - current issues:
heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to overcrowding mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk; potential for water shortages, disease; coastal erosion
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
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; Kiribati is the only country in the world to fall into all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern, and western)
