72,000 (1995). Republic of Kiribati. Formerly Gilbert Islands, part of the British Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. Literacy rate 90%. 38 islands and atolls; land area is 32.5 square miles, spread over nearly 2 million square miles of ocean at the equator. Also includes Tuvaluan 500. Data accuracy estimate: B. Christian, Baha'i. The number of languages listed for Kiribati is 2.
ENGLISH [ENG] 338 in Kiribati (1978 census); 322,000,000 in all countries (1995 WA). Indo-European, Germanic, West, North Sea, English. National language. Bible 1535-1989. NT 1525-1985. Bible portions 1530-1987.
KIRIBATI (GILBERTESE, IKIRIBATI) [GLB] 58,320 in Kiribati (1987), 97.2% of the population; 644 in Solomon Islands (1976 census); 1,700 on Nauru (1986); 5,300 in Fiji (1988); 870 in Tuvalu (1987); 370 in Vanuatu (1982); 67,000 in all countries. Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Micronesian, Micronesian Proper, Ikiribati. Dialect: BANABAN. 26% lexical similarity with Ponapean. North-south dialect division. Most are literate in Ikiribati, but little material is available. Active language use. National language. Typology: VOS. Fishermen, sailors, agriculturalists, copra production. Christian. Bible 1893-1954. NT 1873, in press (1996). Bible portions 1864-1895.
Part of the Ethnologue, 13th Edition, Barbara F. Grimes, Editor.
Copyright © 1996, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc. All rights reserved.
If you have questions, comments, or updates on the Ethnologue, go to the Feedback page.
[Pacific | Areas | Ethnologue Home | SIL Home]