between Hawaii and American
Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938
(2003 est.)

Military Kingman Reef

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Kingman Reef

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@Kiribati

Introduction Kiribati

Background:
The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and
complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US
relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line
Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.

Geography Kiribati

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
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 811 sq km

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 sq km

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