Kiribati is a tropical island nation situated in the Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia. Although it has a total land area of only 811 sq km (313 sq mi) its sandy terrain is sprinkled over an ocean region the size of the continental United States.

The Phoenix Island Protected Area is one of the largest Marine reserves in the world and safeguards an expanse of pristine ocean, atolls, coral reefs, underwater sea mounts and other marine environments.

Since Kiribati spans both the equator and the International Date Line; it is the only nation in the world to be in all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern and western). - AsNotedIn