Kiribati is a made up of several different archipelagos of islands. Notably, of the 33 islands, 32 are less than 2 metres above sea level. These islands are spread over a 3000 kilometre arc, close to the centre of the Pacific Ocean. Benaba, also known as Ocean Island, one of the 33 islands in the group, was extensively mined for phosphate until it ran out in the 1970s. Today, a capital fund established to manage royalties and damage compensation from the mining is a major source of income for this small nation.

The Republic of Kiribati, originally known as the Gilbert Islands along with what is now known as Tuvalu, was a British protectorate until 1979 when it was granted independence and changed its name.

While the total landmass amounts to a little over 800 square kilometres, Kiribati’s economic zone covers 3.55 million sq km and is among the largest in the world.

The greatest challenge facing Kiribati is the risk of rising ocean levels. Any small rise can be catastrophic. The government has acknowledged that it needs to plan for the time in the future when the islands will be covered with water and uninhabitable. Discussions continue over the gradual relocation of the 100,000 residents.

The nation is predominantly Christian with the major churches represented being the Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations following introduction in the 19^th century by European missionaries.

The parliament is unicameral and very loosely modelled on the Westminster system.

Languages spoken are I-Kiribati and English.