Kiribati

Kiribati, formerly the Gilbert Islands, independent state in the west central Pacific Ocean. It consists of 33 coral islands and atolls, about 20 of which are permanently inhabited. The total land area is 886 sq km (342 sq mi). The islands of Kiribati include Banaba (Ocean Island); the 16 Gilbert Islands, including Tarawa, an atoll which includes the capital of Bairiki; Rawaki; and 8 of the Line Islands, including Kiritimati (Christmas Island), the nation's largest. The population, of Micronesian origin, is more than 90 percent Christian. The main languages are I-Kiribati (Gilbertese) and English. Kiribati has a tropical climate with a rainy season that lasts from October to March. The principal economic activities of Kiribati include agriculture and fishing. Food crops include bananas, breadfruit, and papaw. Coconuts and other palm products are the leading commercial crops. Formerly the major export was phosphate rock, mined from rich guano deposits on Banaba, but the reserves have been exhausted. The mining on Banaba has severely damaged the island's environment; as a result, most Banabans have been resettled on Rabi Island, part of Fiji. Medical care on the islands is free of charge. Most children attend primary schools; the University of the South Pacific has an extension center on Kiribati. The Australian dollar of 100 cents is the official currency (1.28 Australian dollars equal U.S. $1; 1997). Some of the islands of Kiribati were included in the British protectorate of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, established in 1892 and made a colony in 1916. Other islands added to the colony included Teraina (Washington) and Tabuaeran (Fanning) islands in 1916, Kiritimati in 1919, and the Phoenix Islands (now Rawaki) in 1937. In 1941 and 1942, during World War II, most of the islands were captured by Japan. In 1943, in fierce fighting, United States troops recaptured them. In 1975 the Ellice Islands separated from the dependency and later became independent as Tuvalu. On July 12, 1979, the remaining Gilbert Islands became independent as Kiribati. The nation has a unicameral legislature and a popularly elected president. Population (1990) 72,298.