FAX: [254] (20) 363-410
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red
band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed
spears is superimposed at the center
Economy ::Kenya
Economy - overview:
The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has
been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary
goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended
Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the
government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A
severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems,
causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output.
As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had
resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again
halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute
several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains
in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low
investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at
1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence,
meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections.
In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old
reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable
economic problems facing the nation. After some early progress in
rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, the KIBAKI
government was rocked by high-level graft scandals in 2005 and 2006.
In 2006, the World Bank and IMF delayed loans pending action by the
government on corruption. The international financial institutions
and donors have since resumed lending, despite little action on the
government's part to deal with corruption. Post-election violence in
early 2008, coupled with the effects of the global financial crisis
on remittance and exports, reduced GDP growth to 2.2% in 2008, down
from 7% the previous year.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$61.65 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
$60.62 billion (2007 est.)
$56.68 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$29.56 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.7% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
7% (2007 est.)
6.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
$1,600 (2007 est.)
$1,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.8%
industry: 16.7%
services: 59.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
17.37 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 75%
industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
40% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 37.8% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
42.5 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
44.9 (1997)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.3% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
Budget:
revenues: $6.648 billion
expenditures: $8.167 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
60.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
74.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
26.2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 216
9.7% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.02% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 56
13.34% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$6.068 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 52
$5.912 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$5.468 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 66
$6.464 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$10.83 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 69
$10.67 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$10.92 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 71
$13.39 billion (31 December 2007)
$11.38 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy
products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles,
clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products,
horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement,
commercial ship repair, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
4.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Electricity - production:
5.223 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
Electricity - consumption:
4.863 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
Electricity - exports:
58.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
22.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Oil - consumption:
75,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
Oil - exports:
7,270 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Oil - imports:
80,530 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 163
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
Current account balance:
-$1.978 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
-$1.102 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$5.04 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
$4.123 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement
Exports - partners:
UK 10%, Netherlands 9.2%, Uganda 9%, Tanzania 8.7%, US 6.3%,
Pakistan 5.6% (2008)
Imports:
$10.69 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
$8.381 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor
vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners:
India 14.1%, UAE 11.5%, China 10%, Saudi Arabia 8%, South Africa
5.7%, Japan 5.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.879 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
$3.355 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.855 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
$6.713 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.541 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
$1.891 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$12.4 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
$31.4 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar - 68.358 (2008 est.), 68.309
(2007), 72.101 (2006), 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004)
Communications ::Kenya
Telephones - main lines in use:
252,300 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 119
Telephones - mobile cellular:
16.234 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 41
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is small
and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay;
business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal
(VSAT) system
domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole
provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple
providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a
boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 24, FM 82, shortwave 6 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
8 (2008)
Internet country code:
.ke
Internet hosts:
32,913 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 90
Internet users:
3.36 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 56
Transportation ::Kenya
Airports:
181 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 33
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 105
under 914 m: 50 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 4 km; refined products 928 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,778 km
country comparison to the world: 59
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 63,574 km (interurban roads)
country comparison to the world: 70
paved: 9,273 km
unpaved: 54,301 km
note: there also are 114,226 km of unclassified roads, 2,000 km
paved and 112,226 unpaved, for a national total of 177,800 km (2008)
Waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1
country comparison to the world: 160
by type: petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Mombasa
Military ::Kenya
Military branches:
Kenyan Armed Forces: Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force
(2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year
obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,044,685
females age 16-49: 8,805,736 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,935,480
females age 16-49: 5,662,755 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 412,656
female: 408,657 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 56
Transnational Issues ::Kenya
Disputes - international:
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's
north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to
almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee
across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan
and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border,
which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that
separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi
Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 173,702 (Somalia); 73,004 (Sudan);
16,428 (Ethiopia)
IDPs: 250,000-400,000 (2007 post-election violence; KANU attacks on
opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country
for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian
methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant
potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status
as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively
high levels of narcotics-associated activities
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Kiribati (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Kiribati
Background:
The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a
colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific
War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major
US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943.
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 half way between Hawaii and
Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of
its territory was in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group
(UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under
its jurisdiction were 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
country comparison to the world: 186
land: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands
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: 47.95%
other: 49.31% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;
occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them
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, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
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:
112,850 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.6% (male 21,488/female 20,899)
15-64 years: 59% (male 32,871/female 33,690)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 1,656/female 2,246) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 20.3 years
female: 21.3 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.235% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
Birth rate:
30.2 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
Death rate:
7.85 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 44% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 43.48 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 61
male: 48.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 38.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.22 years
country comparison to the world: 174
male: 60.14 years
female: 66.45 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.04 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups:
Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, other (includes
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of
God) 8% (1999)
Languages:
I-Kiribati, English (official)
Literacy:
NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
17.8% of GDP (2002)
country comparison to the world: 1
Government ::Kiribati
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
local long form: Republic of Kiribati
local short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Tarawa
geographic coordinates: 1 19 N, 172 58 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in
addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line
Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island
councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama,
Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati,
Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea,
Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)
Independence:
12 July 1979 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution:
12 July 1979
Legal system:
English common law supplemented by local, customary law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO
cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the
members of the House of Parliament
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential
candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete
in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a
four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 17
October 2007 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by
the president
election results: Anote TONG 63.7%, Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46 seats;
44 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the
attorney general, 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders
(representing Banaba Island); serve four-year terms)
elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first
round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next
to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA, other 2 (includes attorney general)
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all
levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te
Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP;
National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties
in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups
because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party
structures
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary
consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fiji
is accredited to Kiribati
Flag description:
the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a
yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal
wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
Economy ::Kiribati
Economy - overview:
A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few
natural resources and is one of the least developed Pacific Islands.
Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of
independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the
bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in
recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of
skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from
international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP.
Private sector initiatives and a financial sector are in the early
stages of development. Foreign financial aid from the EU, UK, US,
Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UN agencies, and Taiwan
accounts for 20-25% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant
ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati
receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from
an Australian trust fund.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$580.8 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
$561.7 million (2007 est.)
$564.6 million (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$137 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
-0.5% (2007 est.)
3.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,300 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
$5,200 (2007 est.)
$5,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.9%
industry: 24.2%
services: 66.8% (2004)
Labor force:
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001
est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 32%
services: 65.3% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
2% (1992 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $55.52 million
expenditures: $59.71 million (FY05)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Industries:
fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
14 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
Electricity - consumption:
13.02 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
Oil - consumption:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
Oil - imports:
260.8 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 201
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
Current account balance:
-$21 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
Exports:
$17 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
Exports - commodities:
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Imports:
$62 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 212
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured
goods, fuel
Debt - external:
$10 million (1999 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137
(2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Communications ::Kiribati
Telephones - main lines in use: