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, 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
People Kiribati
Population:
98,549 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.7% (male 19,839; female 19,333)
15-64 years: 57% (male 27,705; female 28,438)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,385; female 1,849) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.7 years
male: 19.3 years
female: 20.2 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
2.26% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
31.24 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)