Diplomatic representation in the US: Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati; Honolulu is a honorary consul
Flag description: the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
Economy
Economy - overview: A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few national resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Real GDP growth has declined from about 10% in 1988 to about 2.6% in 1995. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. The financial sector is at an early stage of development. Foreign financial aid, largely from the UK and Japan, is a critical supplement to GDP, equal in amount to 25%-50% of GDP in recent years. Remittances from overseas I-Kiribati account for more than $5 million each year.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $62 million (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture : 11% industry: 4% services: 85% (1994)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 5.1% (1994 est.)