Kiribati


Official Name: Kiribati
Population: 98,000
Capital: South Tarawa-Bairiki islet - Pop. 30,000
Area: 726 sq. km. / 451 sq. miles.
Language: English, Gilbertese
Religion: Christianity
Status of Homosexuality: Male illegal, Female legal
Telephone Country Code: 686

The Republic of Kiribati is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, (1,351,000 square miles) straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east. The name Kiribati is the local pronunciation of "Gilberts", derived from the main island chain, the Gilbert Islands.

The Gilbert and Ellice Islands gained self-rule in 1971, and were separated in 1975 and granted internal self-government by Britain. In 1978 the Ellice Islands became the independent nation of Tuvalu. The Gilbert Islands became independent as Kiribati on July 12, 1979. Some of the islands of Kiribati, especially in the remote Line Islands, were formerly used by the United States and United Kingdom for nuclear weapons testing including hydrogen bombs in the late 1960s.

In the summer of 2008, Kiribati officials asked Australia and New Zealand to accept Kiribati citizens as permanent refugees. Kiribati is expected to be the first country in which land territory disappears due to global climate change.[10] In June 2008, the Kiribati president Anote Tong said that the country has reached "the point of no return"; he added: "To plan for the day when you no longer have a country is indeed painful but I think we have to do that.

Homosexuality for males is illegal with penalties ranging from a fine to 14 years in prison. For women it is defacto legal since it is not mentioned in the law.

From the Peace Corps  manual:  "While the Kiribati are very tolerant where race is concerned, homosexuality is not well understood. Homosexuality is not viewed as negatively in Kiribati as it is in some other cultures. They acknowledge there are homosexuals in their society, but these individuals are not always well accepted. There are both lesbians and gay men in Kiribati, and although some aspects of their behaviors are acceptable, there is no acknowledgement of their sexual orientation. Gay men tend to be treated as women in Kiribati culture and can be seen performing “women’s” tasks. Being open with your sexuality can affect your ability to integrate into a Kiribati community. Therefore, gay or lesbian Peace Corps Volunteers need be willing to adhere to cultural norms, which likely means that being “out” publicly is not advised.

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