I-Kiribati Geography, Kiribati Geography
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Location: Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line
Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: Total: 811 sq km land: 811 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative: Four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,143 km
Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: Tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: Mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural resources: Phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use: Arable land: 2.74% permanent crops: 50.68% other: 46.58% (2001)
Irrigated land: NA
Natural hazards: Typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level
Environment - current issues: Heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection 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
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The information here has been derived from Public Domain Sources such as the CIA World Factbook. No liability can be taken for any inaccuracies.
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