Geography

Area

Climate

tropical; marine, characterized by hot and humid conditions, tempered by trade winds

Terrain

predominantly low-lying coral atolls encircled by extensive reef systems

Land use

Location

Oceania, consisting of 32 coral atolls and one elevated coral island in the Pacific Ocean, positioned along the Equator; the capital, Tarawa, is situated roughly midway between Hawaii and Australia

Coastline

1,143 km

Elevation

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Map references

Oceania

Land boundaries

Maritime claims

Natural hazards

typhoons can arise at any time, though they are most common from November to March; sporadic tornadoes; the low elevation of certain islands renders them vulnerable to fluctuations in sea levels

Geography - note

21 out of the 33 islands are populated; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati ranks among the three major phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean -- the others being Makatea in French Polynesia and Nauru; Kiribati uniquely spans all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern, and western)

Natural resources

phosphate (production ceased in 1979), coconuts (copra), fish

Area - comparative

four times larger than Washington, D.C.

Geographic coordinates

1 25 N, 173 00 E

Population distribution

comprises three archipelagos spread across an expanse roughly equivalent to the size of India; the eastern Line Islands and central Phoenix Islands are sparsely populated, in contrast to the western Gilbert Islands, which are among the most densely populated regions globally, with South Tarawa exhibiting a population density akin to that of Tokyo or Hong Kong