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DK Eyewitness Travel Guide USA

Kiribati

  • Pronounced: kir-ree-bas
  • Vicinity: Central Pacific Ocean
  • Official Name: Republic of Kiribati
  • Type: Nation
  • Capital: South Tarawa

Kiribati is a tropical island nation 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 area the size of the continental United States.

The Phoenix Island Protected Area is one of the largest Marine reserves in the world and protects 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


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Kiribati
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PlaceTypeAsNotedInArea
PlaceTypeAsNotedInArea
Gilbert Islands Archipelago
Line Islands Archipelago
Phoenix Islands Archipelago

Geography »

Geography

Kiribati is a nation of archipelagos; made up of 32 low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs and the Island of Banaba. - AsNotedIn

Physiographic Data
Highest Point: Unnamed elevation on Banaba: 81 m
Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean: 0 m
Area: 811 sq km

Information »

Briefly

Kiribati gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1979. Kiribati has an elected president and a legislative assembly. The capital city is Tarawa. Kiribati has few natural resources, and its economy is very small. Kiribati does have small but growing niche markets for fishing, especially at Christmas Island, diving, surfing and bird watching. Tourist facilities are not widely available. - US State Department, 06 March 2013

Location

Group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about half way between Hawaii and Australia - The World Factbook

Data »

Particulars for Kiribati:
Locale Type Nation

Data
Currency: Australian dollar (A$)
Demonym: I-Kiribati (ee-keer-ah-bhass)
Government: Parliamentary republic
Population: 102697


Map »

Kiribati

Kiribati

History »

The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati. - The World Factbook


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