
Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) has 33 lowlying coral atolls, subdivided into the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix and the Line Islands. The islands of Kiribati cover 3.5 million kilometers. 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.
AREA: Total: 811 sq km
POPULATION: 100,798 (July 2004 est.)
LANGUAGES: I-Kiribati, English (official). English is understood in the Capital, but less so in the outer islands.
ETHNIC GROUPS: Predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian
LITERACY LEVELS: Not known
For more information about Kiribati:
http://www.worldfactsite.com/Country/Kiribati
Read the country report for Kiribati (December 2006)