The joint statement about establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in Canberra on June 20th, 2008 was ratified by the Turkish Council of Ministers, and came into force after being published in the Official Gazette of Turkey.
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 kilometers (1,351,000 square miles) straddling the equator and bordering the International Date Line to the east. Its total area is 726 square kilometers. Its population is approximately 105,000.
The name Kiribati is the local pronunciation of "Gilberts", derived from the main island chain, the Gilbert Islands.
The capital city of Kiribati which acquired its independence from Britain in 1979, is Tarawa.
Kiribati became the 186th member of the United Nations in 1999.
Kiribati maintains cordial relations with most countries and has close relations with its Pacific neighbors, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
