Kiribati,officially the Republic of Kiribati,is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census,and more than half live on Tarawa atoll. The state comprises 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island,Banaba. Its total land area is 811 km2 (313 sq mi) dispersed over 3,441,810 km2 (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean.
The islands which now form the Republic of Kiribati have been inhabited for at least seven hundred years,and possibly much longer. The initial Austronesian peoples’population,which remains the overwhelming majority today,was visited by Polynesian and Melanesian invaders before the first European sailors visited the islands in the 17th century. For much of the subsequent period,the main island chain,the Gilbert Islands,was ruled as part of the British Empire. The country gained its independence in 1979 and has since been known as Kiribati.
Anote Tong is an I-Kiribati environmental activist and former politician for the Pillars of Truth party with half Chinese heritage,who served as the fourth president of Kiribati,from 2003 to 2016. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast (47.4%) against his older brother,Harry Tong (43.5%) and the private lawyer Banuera Berina (9.1%). The elections were contested by the opposition,due to allegations of electoral fraud but the High Court of Tarawa had confirmed that there was no fraud. He was re-elected on 17 October 2007 for a second term (64%). In 2012,Tong was reelected for a third term,although with a significantly smaller percentage than in the previous two elections.
Teburoro Tito is an I-Kiribati politician and diplomat who served as the third president of Kiribati from 1994 to 2003.
The president of Kiribati is the head of state and head of government of Kiribati.
The islands which now form the Republic of Kiribati have been inhabited for at least seven hundred years,and possibly much longer. The initial Austronesian peoples’population,which remains the overwhelming majority today,was visited by Polynesian and Melanesian invaders before the first European sailors visited the islands in the 17th century. For much of the subsequent period,the main island chain,the Gilbert Islands,was ruled as part of the British Empire. The country gained its independence in 1979 and has since been known as Kiribati.
Oceania is,to the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China,a stage for continuous diplomatic competition. The PRC dictates that no state can have diplomatic relations with both the PRC and the ROC. As of 2024,eleven states in Oceania have diplomatic relations with the PRC,and three have diplomatic relations with the ROC. These numbers fluctuate as Pacific Island nations re-evaluate their foreign policies,and occasionally shift diplomatic recognition between Beijing and Taipei. The issue of which "Chinese" government to recognize has become a central theme in the elections of numerous Pacific island nations,and has led to several votes of no-confidence.
The Cabinet of Kiribati is the cabinet of the government of the Republic of Kiribati.
Dr. Harry Tong,is an I-Kiribati politician with Chinese heritage. He was born in Tabuaeran,Line Islands and is the second child of Chinese immigrant Tong Ting Hai and Nei Keke Randolph,of Abaiang and Maiana. Harry Tong attended Wanganui Collegiate School in New Zealand,and then went on to complete his medical training at the Fiji School of Medicine.
Tessie Eria Lambourne is an I-Kiribati civil servant,diplomat and politician. She has been a member of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) since April 2020. She was formerly Kiribati's Ambassador to Taiwan from June 2018 to September 2019 and Secretary to the Cabinet,the highest position in Kiribati's civil service,from August 2016 until June 2018.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati in 2020 to elect members of the House of Assembly. The elections were originally planned on 7 April 2020,with a second round of voting to be held on 15 April 2020. However,in late March the Electoral Commission changed the voting date to 14 April 2020,with a second round on 21 April 2020.
Banuera Berina is a lawyer and a politician from Kiribati,representing Kuria in the House of Assembly. He was the opposition candidate in the 2020 Kiribati presidential election.
The Boutokaan Kiribati Moa Party (BKM) was a political party in Kiribati from the merger of the Kiribati First Party and Boutokaan te Koaua in 2020.
Presidential elections were held in Kiribati on 22 June 2020,following parliamentary elections in April. Incumbent President Taneti Maamau of the Tobwaan Kiribati Party was re-elected with 59% of the vote.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) is a government ministry of Kiribati. The Minister is the President of Kiribati since its creation.
The Ministry of Environment,Lands and Agricultural Development is a government ministry of Kiribati,headquartered in Bikenibeu,South Tarawa.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kiribati refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Kiribati. In 1976 the first branch was organized in Tarawa. As at the 2020 Census,there were 6,720 people declaring as LDS members. According to LDS church,as of year-end 2022,there were 22,210 members in 43 congregations,making it the largest body of LDS Church members in Micronesia. Kiribati also has the most LDS Church members per capita in Micronesia,and the third most members per capita of any country in the world,behind Tonga and Samoa.
Kiribati-Taiwan relations refers to relations between Kiribati and Taiwan. Kiribati,under the government of President Taneti Mamau,initially recognised the ROC but switched to PRC later on.
A constitutional crisis began in Kiribati when the Cabinet of Kiribati suspended two of its High Court Justices. High Court Judge David Lambourne was suspended in May 2022 while Chief Justice Bill Hastings was suspended on 30 June 2022,both over allegations of misconduct. A Court of Appeal ruling upheld an earlier ruling of Chief Justice Hastings that the government acted unconstitutionally in not permitting David Lambourne to resume his duties as a High Court judge,and overturned the subsequent attempted deportation of Lambourne. In response,the government suspended all judges of the Kiribati Court of Appeal on 6 September 2022.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kiribati in 2024 to elect members of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu,with the first round held on 14 August and the second on 19 August.
