Nation/Kiribati-Tarawa
United Kingdom of Kiribati and Tarawa |
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| Motto: "Pro Fide Ultimatum" "For Ultimate Faith" |
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| Anthem: "God Save the King" | |||||
 Location of Kiribati-Tarawa
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| Capital and largest city | Westminster | ||||
| Official languages | English | ||||
| Recognised national languages | Reformed Tarawan, Tarawan Gaelic, Umberland Dialect | ||||
| Demonym | Kiribatian | ||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | ||||
| - | Monarch | Victor Emmanuel I | |||
| - | Prime Minister | Catherine Willoughby | |||
| Legislature | Parliament | ||||
| - | Upper house | House of Lords | |||
| - | Lower house | House of Commons | |||
| History | |||||
| - | Acts of Union | 1702 | |||
| Area | |||||
| - | Total | 393,571 km2 151,959 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 2.31% | |||
| Population | |||||
| - | 2014 estimate | 899,914,712 | |||
| - | Density | 2286.53/km2 5,922.1/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2014 estimate | ||||
| - | Total | ƒ13.658 trillion | |||
| - | Per capita | ƒ29,140.33 | |||
| GDP (nominal) | 2014 estimate | ||||
| - | Total | ƒ26.198 trillion | |||
The United Kingdom of Kiribati and Tarawa, commonly known as Kiribati-Tarawa (KT), is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy in the Holy Pacific Lorraine. The country is composed of Kiribati and Tarawa, both originally sovereign kingdoms, as well as a number of colonial and Commonwealth realms. The nation is an island and has no land borders, but is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, and Kiribatian Channel. Kiribati-Tarawa's form of government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, and its capital city is Westminster. The current monarch of Kiribati-Tarawa is King Victor Emmanuel I, who has reigned since 1990. Kiribati-Tarawa has 11 overseas territories and presides over 12 Commonwealth realms. These are the remnants of the Kiribatian Empire, which, at its height, encompassed nearly an 8th of the world.
Kiribati-Tarawa is a developed country with one of the worlds strongest economies by nominal GDP. It was one of the earliest countries to industrialize and held great influence in the world during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and remains a great power in the world.
Etymology and terminology
The name "United Kingdom of Kiribati and Tarawa" refers to the union of the kingdoms of Kiribati and Tarawa, two previously-rival nations brought together under the Acts of Union 1702. Kiribati and Tarawa retain distinct cultures and national identities.
History
Before 1702
Prior to the Acts of Union in 1702, Kiribati and Tarawa were separate, sovereign kingdoms, with different customs, cultures, and variations of monarchist government. The first inhabitants of the land that was to become Kiribati-Tarawa were the Kiribats, who are estimated to have arrived in the islands around the first century BC. Little is known of the early Kiribats, except that they were a fairly primitive tribal society, in which each tribe was greatly isolated from the other. They are believed to have spoken a myriad of different languages with many different religions.
In 1098, a man named Robert of England, the second son of an English duke, conquered Kiribati with a host of English soldiers. Under his reign, English became the official language of the country and Catholicism became the state religion of Kiribati. The Kiribats, who still clung to their tribal dialects and faiths, were expelled by force. It is believed that most of the Kiribats, except those who adopted the traditions of their conquerers, died while fleeing their homeland. Over time, the remaining Kiribats integrated with their English conquerers, blending old traditions with new ones, forming a culture and race that is distinctly Kiribatian.
The medieval period of Kiribati saw a number of wars, both internal and external. The rival kingdoms of Kiribati and the Tarawa feuded constantly, fighting a number of wars. In these wars, very little territory was gained or lost.
