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The island state of Kiribati is located immediately in Polynesia and Micronesia. At present, the small country is successfully developing despite scarce natural resources.

 

Amazing facts about Kiribati

 

Of all the countries in the world, only Kiribati is located in all hemispheres of the planet at once - Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern. All 33 atolls belonging to the republic are scattered at a considerable distance from each other, while only 13 of them are permanently inhabited. At the same time, Christmas Island, the largest atoll in the world, accounts for about 48% of the state's total land mass.

 

 

1. Kiribati is a tiny island country located in the Western Pacific Ocean.

 

The name of the island nation of Kiribati comes from the distorted English "Gilbert Islands".

 

2. Kiribati is the only country on Earth located in all hemispheres at once - Northern and Southern, Western and Eastern.

 

3. The Republic of Kiribati in the northwest borders on the territorial waters of two states, namely the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. In the southwest and west, Kiribati has maritime boundaries with Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands and Nauru.

 

4. In the southeast and south - with the waters belonging to Tokelau, the Cook Islands, as well as French Polynesia. In the northeast and north, the republic borders on the Outer Small Islands, which are part of the United States, as well as on Pacific neutral waters.

 

5. The coastal strip of Kiribati has a length of 1143 kilometers.

 

6. Little is known about how the islands of Kiribati were settled. There is an assumption that the ancestors of modern local residents moved to the Gilbert atolls in the 1st millennium AD. from eastern Melanesia. But the Phoenix and Line archipelagos remained uninhabited by the time they were discovered by the Americans and Europeans.

 

 

7. Nevertheless, on these atolls one can find traces of the presence of a person who lived here in the distant past. A similar fact allowed scientists to assume that the local population for some reason left these archipelagos. One of the most popular versions explains this by small land areas, remoteness from other islands, an arid climate and a constant shortage of fresh water. Due to all these factors, it was difficult to live on these atolls. Most likely, the people who settled the islands soon left them.

 

8. The discoverers of the archipelagos located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean are American and British expeditions. Their ships visited these places in the period from the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the 19th century.

 

9. Initially, the atolls were called the Gilbert Islands. It happened in 1820. The name of the islands was given by the Russian traveler and Admiral Krusenstern in honor of the British captain T. Gilberg, who discovered these lands in 1788.

 

10. The first settlers from Britain arrived on the islands in 1837. In 1892, these territories became a protectorate of England. Christmas Island joined the colony in 1919 and Phoenix became part of it in 1937.

 

11. The land area of ​​the Republic of Kiribati consists of 33 atolls. This is the name of the coral islands, which have a ring-shaped shape. This state also includes small coral islands.

 

 

12. The country of Kiribati is located on atolls, one of which, Banaba, is raised. According to the theory put forward by Charles Darwin, the formation of such formations was facilitated by the subsidence of volcanic islands and the gradual fouling of their surface with corals. This process led to the emergence of fringing reefs, and then barrier reefs. Thus, land appeared in this part of the Pacific Ocean.

 

13. The distance from the easternmost to the westernmost island of the state is 4 thousand kilometers.

 

14. In the waters of the Pacific Ocean, all these small areas of land are spread over an area exceeding 3.5 million square kilometers. According to this indicator, the country of Kiribati has the second largest exclusive economic zone in the Pacific Ocean. But the entire land area of ​​the country does not exceed 811 square kilometers.

 

15. Although this Pacific nation has 33 atolls, only 13 of them have permanent population.

 

16. The island state of Kiribati is located immediately in Polynesia and Micronesia.

 

17. The country consists of island groups. These are the Gilbert, Phoenix, and Line Islands. The last of them, by their location, belong to the southern part of the Hawaiian Islands.

 

 

18. The Republic of Kiribati as a state appeared in 1979, having gained independence from Great Britain.

 

19. The total population of Kiribati is a little over 115 thousand people.

 

20. About 90% of the population of Kiribati are representatives of the people of the same name. Its other name is tungar.

 

21. The official language of the country is English, but few people speak it. The majority of the population speaks Kiribati.

 

22. Modern writing in Kiribati uses the letters of the Latin alphabet.

 

23. In 1983, a friendship agreement was signed between the United States and Kiribati, according to which the United States renounced claims to 14 islands, recognizing them as part of Kiribati.

 

24. Kiribati does not have its own army. The defense of the state is carried out by the armed forces of Australia and New Zealand.

 

 

25. The United States in the 20th century tested atomic bombs on two atolls belonging to Kiribati.

 

26. This island nation has a weak economy, because it is far from world markets for its products.

 

27. Agriculture dominates the country, which negatively affects the vegetation cover of the islands, which are gradually being deforested.

 

28.Overpopulation, soil erosion and lack of fresh water are considered to be the main problems of Kiribati.

 

29. The United Kingdom periodically allocates funds to the development of the education system in Kiribati, and France to the health sector.

 

30. In Kiribati there are only 2 fresh, but about 100 small salt lakes. Some of them reach a diameter of several kilometers.

 

31. Freshwater lakes can be found only on two islands of the state. This is the atoll of Christmas and Teraina (Washington).

 

32. There is not a single river in Kiribati either.

 

 

33. The highest point of Kiribati is 81 meters above sea level. It is located on the Banaba Atoll. This is quite a lot, especially when compared with the Maldives, also located on the atolls, where the highest point is at a height of less than 5 meters.

 

34. The soils on the islands of Kiribati, due to their coral origin, are very poor and highly alkaline. Most of them are porous and do not retain moisture well.

 

35. The soils of Kiribati are very low in mineral and organic matter. The only exceptions are magnesium, sodium and calcium. Phosphate soils are widespread throughout the republic.

 

36. There are also brown-red soils on the islands, formed from guano, which is the decomposed droppings of sea birds, as well as bats.

 

37. The lack of water bodies on the islands is due to their small area, low altitude, and also the porosity of the soil.

 

38. The only source of fresh water on the atolls are the so-called lenses, formed by rainwater that seeps through the soil. You can get to the moisture by digging a well.

 

39. Such lenses are the only source of fresh water in most of the atolls of Kiribati. After the rains, local residents extract moisture for themselves from the leaves of coconut palms.

 

 

40.Since 28 January 2008, the Phoenix Island Group has been the world's largest marine reserve. Its area is 410.5 thousand square kilometers.

 

41. The Kiritimati Atoll, which is part of this country, is the largest coral atoll on Earth. It accounts for about 80% of the entire landmass of this country.

 

42. Christmas Island, one of the atolls that make up Kiribati, is the largest atoll in the world. Christmas Island is home to more bird species than any other island in the world.

 

43. The relatively young geological age of the atolls, their remoteness from the continent, as well as unfavorable weather conditions, have contributed to the fact that only 83 species of native plants in Kiribati exist. And none of them is endemic.

 

44. In addition, it is believed that several species of plants were introduced to these areas by Aboriginal people. Among them are: taka pinnatifid; breadfruit of two kinds; yam; giant taro; tarot; swamp giant taro.

 

45. Plants such as the coconut palm and the roofing pandanus most likely have a dual origin. On some atolls, they were brought by man, while on others they are indigenous representatives of the flora.

 

 

46.Four plant species, namely pandanus, breadfruit, coconut and taro, played in the past and continue to play today a leading role in the nutrition of the inhabitants of this island country.

 

47. The main representatives of the marine fauna are pearl mussels, holothurians (sea cucumbers), cones, tridacna, palm thieves and lobsters. There are a lot of fish in the ocean near the islands, of which there are from 600 to 800 species.

 

48. As for fish, it has always been the main food for local residents. In coastal waters, reef perches, albuls, hanos, large-headed mullets, sultans and horse mackerels are caught. There are several varieties of sea turtles near the islands.

 

49. Rich coastal waters of Kiribati and corals.

 

50. The animal world of the atolls is rather poor. During an American scientific expedition at the beginning of the 19th century, researchers discovered here only the only representative of land mammals - the Polynesian rat. Today, the inhabitants of the islands breed pigs and poultry.

 

51. But the world of avifauna in Kiribati is very diverse. There are 75 species of birds in the country, one of which is endemic. This is a warbler bird. She lives on Christmas Island.

 

 

52. Most of the landmasses of the Phoenix and Line archipelagos host large-scale bird colonies. That is why the islands of Starbuck and Malden, as well as part of the Christmas Atoll, have been declared a zone of marine reserves.

 

53. An additional source of income for Kiribati in recent years has been the issuance of licenses to fish in the Special Economic Zone.

 

54. The bulk of the republic's population lives on the Gilbert Islands. And most of them are located on Tarawa Atoll. Here is the capital of Kiribati - the city of South Tarawa. About 50 thousand inhabitants are registered here.

 

55. In addition to the capital, the city of Kiribati, there are 9 more settlements, the number of which exceeds 1.5 thousand people. The residential areas of the capital of Kiribati are located on several small islands, interconnected by bridges and dams.

 

56. South Tarawa comprises four municipalities. Their names are Betio and Bairiki, Bikinibeu and Bonriki. All these municipalities are located on the islands of the same name, being part of the capital of the state of Kiribati. It is on their territories that all the main commercial, government and educational institutions of the country are located.

 

57. So, in Betio there is a power plant operating for the entire atoll, a Maritime Institute and a port. Interestingly, this island is almost flat and devoid of vegetation. Its entire central part is occupied by a wide strip of the Hawkins airfield. It is in this place that the sights of Kiribati are located, which are military relics of the period when the famous battle for Tarawa took place.

 

 

58. Among the monuments reminiscent of the fierce battle on Tarawa are the Memorial Chapel built in the village of Abaroko.

 

59. And also the Memorial to the Heroes of the Outpost, which commemorates the memory of 22 British servicemen killed by the Japanese in October 1942.

 

60.The most important feature of Betio are military cemeteries, which can impress anyone with their numerous rows of wooden tombstones, because on the island, which is only 3 kilometers long, more than 5.5 thousand war victims are buried.

 

61. Kiribati has two radio stations of its own, government and private.

 

62. Road signs here are often drawn by hand on suitable surfaces.

 

63. Athletes from Kiribati take part in the Olympic Games.

 

64. The average annual temperature in Kiribati ranges from +26, +32 ⁰C.

 

65. On the Caroline Atoll, located in the Line Archipelago, people are the first to celebrate the New Year (outside of Eurasia and Antarctica). This happens due to the fact that this island is the easternmost piece of land located in the 12th time zone.

 

 

66. Among the local villages there are London, Paris and others. Locals like to call their villages after European capitals.

 

67.The production of postage stamps generates significant revenue for the public treasury. Stamps are very popular among philatelists from various countries.

 

68.There are two official currencies in circulation in the country - the Australian dollar and the equivalent Kiribati dollar.

 

69. The Kiribati one dollar coin has a dodecagonal shape.

 

70.At present, the small country is developing successfully despite scarce natural resources.

 

71.Kiribati is a member of the UN.

 

72.The world's only diplomatic mission of the Republic of Kiribati is located in the Fiji Islands.

 

73. The British Consulate is usually in charge of the diplomatic affairs of Kiribati.

 

74. Kiribati is an amazing country. In addition to the natural beauty, it is also notable for the fact that 99.99% of the world's population has no idea about its existence.

 

75. Kiribati is the least visited country on the planet by tourists. Only the most desperate tourists reach the remote islands of the country of Kiribati.

 

 

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