Kiribati Facts, Kiribati Flag -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 92,000
Capital:: Tarawa; 42,000
Area:: 811 square kilometers (313 square miles)
Language:: English, I-Kiribati
Religion:: Roman Catholic, Protestant
Currency:: Australian dollar
Life Expectancy:: 62
GDP per Capita:: U.S. $800
Literacy Percent:: 98

Scattered over five million square kilometers, the 33 islands were formerly the Gilberts of the British Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. These mostly low-lying coral islands in the Pacific became the Republic of Kiribati in 1979. In addition to fishing and copra, the country relies on foreign financial aid, particularly from the U.K. and Japan. As its phosphate reserves diminish, the island has been forced to rely on a reserve trust. Income from citizens now working abroad augments the economy.

ECONOMY

Industry: Fishing, handicrafts
Agriculture: Copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes; fish
Exports: Copra, coconuts, seaweed, fish

—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

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