!!!Kiribati: Government
||Country name|''conventional long form'': Republic of Kiribati \\ ''conventional short form'': Kiribati \\ ''local long form'': Republic of Kiribati \\ ''local short form'': Kiribati \\ ''former'': Gilbert Islands \\ ''etymology'': the name is the local pronounciation of "Gilberts," the former designation of the islands; originally named after explorer Thomas GILBERT, who mapped many of the islands in 1788 \\  \\ ''__note__'': pronounced keer-ree-bahss \\ 
||Government type|presidential republic
||Capital|Tarawa[{GoogleMap location='Tarawa' zoom='6'}] \\ ''geographic coordinates'': 1 21 N, 173 02 E \\ ''time difference'': UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) \\  \\ ''__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 \\ 
||Administrative divisions|3 geographical units: Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - there are no first-order administrative divisions but 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|The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Order in Council 1915, The Gilbert Islands Order in Council 1975 (preindependence); latest promulgated 12 July 1979 (at independence); amended 1995, 2013 (2016)
||Legal system|English common law supplemented by customary law
||International law organization participation|has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
||Citizenship|''citizenship by birth'': no \\ ''citizenship by descent only'': at least one parent must be a native-born citizen of Kiribati \\ ''dual citizenship recognized'': no \\ ''residency requirement for naturalization'': 7 years \\ 
||Suffrage|18 years of age; universal
||Executive branch|''chief of state'': President Taneti MAAMAU (since 11 March 2016); Vice President Kourabi NENEM (since 17 March 2016); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government \\ ''head of government'': President Taneti MAAMAU (since 11 March 2016); Vice President Kourabi NENEM (since 17 March 2016) \\ ''cabinet'': Cabinet appointed by the president from among House of Assembly members \\ ''elections/appointments'': president directly elected by simple majority popular vote following nomination of candidates from among House of Assembly members; term is 4 years (eligible for 2 additional terms); election last held on 13 January 2012 (next to be held in 2015); vice president appointed by the president \\ ''election results'': Taneti MAAMAU elected president; percent of vote - Taneti MAAMAU 60%, Rimeta BENIAMINA (BTK) 38.5%, Taneti IOANE (BTK) 1.5% \\ 
||Legislative branch|''description'': unicameral House of Assembly or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46 seats; 44 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in two-rounds, 1 member appointed by the Rabi Council of Leaders - representing Banaba Island, and 1 ex officio member - the attorney general; members serve 4-year terms) \\ ''elections'': legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first on 21 October 2011 and the second on 28 October 2011 (next to be held in 2015) \\ ''election results'': percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA, other 2 (includes attorney general) \\ 
||Judicial branch|''highest court(s)'': High Court (consists of a chief justice and other judges as prescribed by the president); note - the High Court has jurisdiction on constitutional issues \\ ''judge selection and term of office'': chief justice appointed by the president on the advice of the cabinet in consultation with the Public Service Commission (PSC); other judges appointed by the president on the advice of the chief justice along with the PSC \\ ''subordinate courts'': Court of Appeal; magistrates' courts \\ 
||Political parties and leaders|Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK (Anote TONG) \\ Kamaeuraoan Te I-Kiribati Party or KTK (Tetaua TAITAI) \\ Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP (Rimeta BENIAMINA) \\  \\ ''__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 \\ 
||International organization participation|ABEDA, ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
||Diplomatic representation in the US|none; the Kiribati Permanent Mission to the UN serves as the Embassy; it is headed by Makurita BAARO (since 21 May 2014); address: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400A, New York, NY 10017; telephone: (1)(212)867-3310; FAX: (1)(212)867-3320 \\ ''__note__'': there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu \\ 
||Diplomatic representation from the US|the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati
||Flag description|the upper half is red with a yellow frigatebird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the Pacific ocean; the white stripes represent the three island groups - the Gilbert, Line, and Phoenix Islands; the 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and Banaba (formerly Ocean Island); the frigatebird symbolizes authority and freedom
||National symbol(s)|frigatebird; national colors: red, white, blue, yellow
||National anthem|''name'': "Teirake kaini Kiribati" (Stand Up, Kiribati) \\ ''lyrics/music'': Urium Tamuera IOTEBA \\  \\ ''__note__'': adopted 1979 \\