The population of Kiribati in 2015 was estimated to be around 115,000 people, making it the 183rd most populous country in the world. The majority of Kiribatians identify as Christian, with sizeable minorities of Muslims also present. The Kiribati economy is heavily reliant on exports, with the sector accounting for roughly one-third of the country’s GDP. Other exports include fish and copra. Kiribati has strong trade ties with its Pacific Island neighbours, particularly Fiji and Tuvalu, as well as other countries worldwide. In terms of politics, Kiribati is a unitary presidential constitutional republic with a multi-party system. In 2015 Anote Tong was the President after winning reelection in 2011. In foreign relations, Kiribati is a member of both the United Nations and Pacific Islands Forum and is actively involved in international affairs such as peacekeeping operations. Relations with its Pacific Island neighbours have been mostly positive but tensions remain between Kiribati and some countries over maritime disputes. See ehealthfacts for Kiribati in the year of 2005.
Yearbook 2015
Kiribati. The tropical cyclone Pam, which in March caused great devastation, especially in Vanuatu, also hit Kiribati. In the islands of Arorae and Tamana, about half the population had their homes destroyed.
In July, the Kiribati man who sought asylum in New Zealand with reference to the impact of climate change on his home country was rejected by the New Zealand Supreme Court. Ioane Teitiota, as the man is named, refused to return to Kiribati when his visa expired in 2011 and has struggled to obtain asylum ever since. In its opinion, the Supreme Court ruled that even if Kiribati undoubtedly faces challenges, Teitiota would not be in serious danger if he returned there. The Court also pointed out that there was no evidence that the Government of Kiribati failed to take measures to protect its citizens from the harmful effects of environmental degradation. Earlier in the month, the country’s president Anote Tong again called on the outside world to start taking action to help countries already affected by climate change.
On December 30, the first round of the parliamentary elections was held. According to COUNTRYAAH, Tarawa Atoll is the capital of Kiribati which is located in Micronesia. A second round was announced the following week in constituencies where none of the candidates succeeded in getting a sufficiently large share of votes.
- Also see AbbreviationFinder.org for Kiribati country abbreviations, including geography, history, economy and politics.
History. – During the first fifteen years of the 21st century, Kiribati found himself facing the increasingly alarming problem of rising water levels which put his very existence at risk. President Anote Tong – elected in 2003 and then reconfirmed in 2007 and 2012 – worked above all to raise the awareness of the international community on the issue, urging a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and financing of programs to counter the effects of the phenomenon on the country.. The relevance of the issue was further confirmed in the organization, in November 2010, of the Conference on Climate Change in the capital of Kiribati, as well as in the visit to the islands of the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in September 2011. Dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in the prices of goods such as food and fuel – largely imported – Kiribati felt the effects of the global economic crisis, which also led to a significant reduction in remittances from cross-border workers; however, after contracting in 2009 and 2010, GDP returned to growth in 2011. In May 2014, the country’s government announced the acquisition of 5460 acres of land on the Fijian island of Vanua Levu, in order to be able to transfer economic activities and develop projects in fields such as agriculture and fish farming, severely damaged by the environmental problems suffered by Kiribati and essential to ensure greater security in the supply of food.