Welcome to Kiribati!

Kiribati is for travelers - those with a passion for exploration and discovery, people who enjoy adventures off the tourist trail to places few have been before, and people who want to understand the country, not just see it. Kiribati will challenge your expectations of what life should be and show you a less complicated way of life that puts family and community first.

Located in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, in the east Kiribati offers world class fishing from the island of Kiritimati. To the west lies the Gilbert Islands group, offering an amazing and unique cultural experience. The country's capital, Tarawa, is home to historical sites and artifacts - the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, the Battle of Tarawa.

If you are visiting Kiribati as part of your work, we encourage you to explore the islands to experience these delights - South Tarawa doesn't have to be the only atoll you visit when you have 33 to choose from, even nearby North Tarawa offers a very different perspective!

Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) is an independent republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, located in the central Pacific Ocean, approximately 4000 km (approx. 2500 miles) southwest of Hawaii. It is part of the Pacific Islands division known as Micronesia. Kiribati consists of 33 coral islands, divided into three groups of islands: the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands.

All islands are atolls (ring-shaped islands with central lagoons) , with the exception of Banaba Island in the Gilbert Islands, which is an elevated limestone island. Of Kiribati's 33 islands, 21 are inhabited. Most of the population is concentrated in the Gilbert Islands, and only one of the Phoenix group islands (Canton Island) is inhabited, while the three Line Islands are permanently inhabited. The capital of Kiribati is Tarawa, an atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The administrative center is Bairiki, an islet of Tarawa.

Kiribati has a total area of ​​811 square kilometers (313 sq mi). The islands extend approximately 3,900 km (about 2,400 miles) from east to west. From north to south they extend approximately 2,100 km (about 1,300 miles), spanning the equator. Kiritimati (also called Christmas Island), one of the Line Islands, covers an area of ​​609 square kilometers (235 sq mi) and has the largest land area of ​​any atoll in the world. Kiribati's exclusive economic zone (the area of ​​ocean in which the state controls fishing and other rights) covers an area of ​​more than 3 million square kilometers (more than 1 million square miles).

Most The atolls are just over six meters above sea level and are surrounded by barrier reefs, creating picturesque lagoons for fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming and other water sports. Professional scuba diving guide available on Christmas Island, Fanning Island and Tarawa Island.

Until 1994, the eastern and western island groups were located on either side of the International Time Line, and the time difference between them was 23 hours . At that time, the President of Kiribati decided to move the date line for convenience, which explained the difference of 2 hours between the islands in the Gilbert Islands group and the group of islands (Line and Phoenix). It also marked Kiribati becoming the first country to welcome the third millennium, and Caroline was renamed Millennium Island to celebrate the occasion in 2000.

Kiribati on 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, 2 hours ahead of Tokyo and 22 hours ahead of Honolulu, which is on the other side of the International Date Line.

History of the early centuries

In the legends of the Pacific Islands, the origin of man is explained by the myth of the creation of the world, when the turtle and spider gods created the universe. Some myths recognize them as gods of the earth, captured by the eel and stingray gods, who then created the universe.

Traditional legend tells of spirits moving from Samoa to the Gilbert Islands. The spirits became half human, half spirit, and then, after a long time, turned into people. Many Kiribati residents believe that their ancestors were spirits, some from Samoa and some from the Gilberts.

Kiribati's modern history, known as "Tungaru", is believed to have begun with the arrival of Micronesians in the southern part Pacific Ocean, which occurred between 200 and 500 AD. However, some evidence points to a prior migration from Southeast Asia/Indonesia to the Pacific Ocean around 3,000 years ago.

A Micronesian culture (although not called Micronesian until then) developed on these islands , until Europeans later introduced the name), it was also imbued with elements of Polynesian and Melanesian culture resulting from invasions from neighboring countries such as Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. The culture was also influenced by intermarriages between these countries, and later mainly by the influence of "Polynesian" pastors.

Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean. It includes North Tarawa, which has much in common with the other, more distant islands of the Gilberts group; and South Tarawa, home to 50,182 people as of 2010—half the country's total population. The atoll is best known to outsiders as the site of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II.

Tarawa has a large lagoon with a total area of ​​500 square kilometers (193 sq mi) and a wide reef. Despite the natural abundance of fish and shellfish of all kinds, marine resources are being depleted by large and growing populations. Droughts are common, but in normal years there is enough rainfall to support breadfruit, papaya and banana trees, as well as coconut and pandanus.

North Tarawa consists of a number of islets, the northernmost of which is Buariki. The islets are separated in places by wide straits, which are best crossed at low tide.

In South Tarawa, the construction of dykes has created a single strip of land from Betio in the west to Buota in the northeast.

In Kiribati mythology, Tarawa was the land when the earth, ocean and sky were not yet split by the spider Naro. Thus, having called the sky "carawa" and the ocean "marava", he named the piece of rock on which "Riiki" (another god Naro found) stood when he lifted the sky, "Tarawa". Naro then created the remaining islands of Kiribati, as well as Samoa.

Humans arrived on these islands thousands of years ago, and migrations to and from Kiribati have occurred since ancient times.

Evidence from a number of sources, including radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis, confirms that exploration of the Pacific Ocean included the settlement of the Gilbert Islands by about 200 BC. The people of Kiribati are still excellent seafarers, able to cross the ocean in locally made ships using traditional navigation methods.

Thomas Gilbert, captain of the East India Company vessel Charlotte, was the first European to describe Tarawa, arriving there on June 20, 1788. He named it Matthew Island in honor of the owner of his ship, the Charlotte. He named the lagoon Charlotte Bay. Gilbert's 1788 sketches survive.

Tarawa Post Office opened on 1 January 1911.

Sir Arthur Grimble was an administrative officer cadet at Tarawa (1913–1919); and became Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony in 1926.

During World War II, Tarawa was occupied by the Japanese, and beginning on November 20, 1943, the bloody Battle of Tarawa took place there. That day, US Marines landed on Tarawa and suffered heavy casualties from Japanese soldiers manning trenches on the atoll. The Marines captured the island after 76 hours of intense fighting, in which a total of about 6,000 people died on both sides.

In 2014, the Kiribati government began a road rehabilitation project, partially funded by the World Bank, to covering the main road between Betio in the west and Bonriki in the east, upgrading the main road through Tarawa from a dirt road.

The name "Kiritimati" is a fairly simple variant of the English word "Christmas" in the Kiribati language, in which the combination "ti" is pronounced " s", and thus the name is pronounced /kəˈrɪsməs/. Although most non-Kiribati people still correctly pronounce the island's name as "Christmas Island", changing the spelling sometimes results in those "not in the know" mispronouncing it, as the letter combination "Kiritimati" would pronounced this way in English.

The island has the largest land area of ​​any coral atoll in the world, about 388 square kilometers (150 sq mi); its lagoon is about the same size. The perimeter of the atoll is about 150 km (93 mi), and the lagoon coastline extends over 48 km (30 mi). Kiritimati occupies more than 70% of the total area of ​​Kiribati, a country comprising 33 Pacific atolls and islands.

It is located 232 km (144 mi) north of the equator, 2160 km (1340 mi) to south of Honolulu and 5,360 km (3,330 mi) from San Francisco. The island of Kiritimati is located in the farthest time zone in the world, UTC+14, and is one of the first inhabited places on Earth where you can celebrate the New Year (see also Caroline Atoll, Kiribati). Although Kiritimati was 2,460 km (1,530 mi) east of the 180th meridian, a change in the international time line by the Republic of Kiribati in 1995 moved Kiritimati west of the date line.

Nuclear testing was carried out in and around Kiribati by Britain in the late 1950s and the United States in 1962. No island residents were evacuated during these tests. Subsequently, British, New Zealand and Fijian military personnel, as well as local island residents, stated that they suffered from radiation from these explosions.

The entire island is a wildlife sanctuary; access to five particularly sensitive areas is limited.

Tabituea, formerly Drummond Island, is an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, south of Tarawa Atoll. The atoll consists of two main islands: Eanikai in the north, Nuguti in the south, and several small islands in between along the eastern edge of the atoll. The total area of ​​the atoll is 38 km2 (15 sq mi), and the lagoon area is 365 km2 (141 sq mi). In 2005, the population was 4,899.

While most of the Gilbert Islands atolls correspond to local government areas governed by island councils, Tabituea, like the main atoll of Tarawa, divided into two parts:

Northern Tabituea has an area of ​​26 km2 (10 sq mi) and a population of 3,600 as of 2005, distributed among twelve villages (capital Utiroa).

Southern Tabituea has an area of ​​12 km2 (4.6 sq mi) and a population of 1,299, distributed among six villages (the capital is Buariki).

"Tabituea" means "land without chiefs" in Gilbertese; the island is traditionally egalitarian. In the late 1800s, the two islands became the site of a religious war when the population of Northern Tabiteua converted to Christianity and, led by a man named Kapu, who assembled a "hymn-singing crusading army", invaded and conquered Southern Tabiteua, which retained traditional religious practice.

The Battle of Drummond's Island occurred during the U.S. exploring expedition in April 1841 at Tabituea, then known as Drummond's Island. After one sailor from the sloop USS Peacock was captured by the islanders, the American side decided to demand compensation for the incident. Twelve islanders were killed in action, and several more were wounded.

During the American Civil War, the Confederate States Navy steamship CSS Shenandoah visited the island on March 23, 1865, in search of United States whalers, but the whalers left the area. Captain James Waddell described the islanders as "copper-colored, short, stately, athletic, intelligent and obedient" and "without a single piece of clothing."

Tabituea Post Office opened around 1911 and was renamed Tabituea North around 1972. The Tabiteua South Post Office opened on September 13, 1965.

There are many adventures to be found in and around the islands that make up the state of Kiribati. In a country with the largest water to land ratio in the world, water is a dominant feature in the lives of Kiribati residents and all visitors.

World Class Fishing – Centered on Kiritimati Island (Christmas ), one of the few places in the world where you can fly fish for saltwater fish, as well as the mighty fighting bonefish! The deeper waters around Kiritimati and the Gilbert Islands are also excellent locations for record fishing.

For those looking for a bit of culture, there is plenty to see and do on the island. Kiribati's culture is still very uncommodified: the best way to experience a relatively untouched culture is to take a domestic flight or ferry to the outer island and meet the always friendly locals. If you visit at the right time of year, you can also witness local celebrations such as religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas; or national holidays such as the independence of Kiribati. If you want to bring a little culture home with you, they sell some amazing handicrafts still made in the traditional way.

The Gilbert Islands group is home to a number of historical sites from World War II. Tarawa, Makin (now Butaritari), Abemama (also the ocean island of Banaba) were captured by the Japanese in 1941, immediately after they bombed Pearl Harbor. After the Japanese fortified the atolls, US Marines conducted a series of large-scale raids in 1942 and 1943 to eliminate the Japanese presence. Today, battle relics and forts can be visited.

Kiribati is also home to the Phoenix Islands group, including the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), the world's largest marine protected area. For bird lovers, there are nesting and feeding grounds for 19 species of wild seabirds. For those who love the underwater world, a vast playground is home to a rich variety of fish (509 identified species) and other marine life (mammals, sharks, invertebrates, plants) in abundance in windward, leeward and lagoonal habitats.

If you like fun on the water, Fanning Island has some amazing surfing spots.

We also have a range of tours and other outdoor activities - if you're Whether you're in Kiribati on business or just want to explore the island, there's a wide range of day and weekend tours available to you. Why not let others set the schedule and let a local show you around!

Experiencing the culture and lifestyle of Kiribati will remain a memory for the rest of your life. Kiribati's culture is complex and diverse, with each island having its own unique characteristics. Many people remain faithful to the age-old traditions and practices that define what it means to be I-Kiribati.

Cultural traditions such as social gatherings at the maneab (traditional house of worship) for socializing and feasting (botaki), respect for the elderly, welcoming guests and the importance of family, remain important aspects of Kiribati culture.

We warmly welcome visitors to many of our customs and activities and take pride in our way of life and its celebration. The lifestyle is very simple and people plan their life just for one day without worrying about their future, living with the motto “Tomorrow is another day.” Survival revolves around strength, motivation and the will to live on that particular day. Daily life revolves around the ebb and flow of the tides, dictating fishing conditions, timing, and availability of transportation. The source of food is coconut and breadfruit trees, as well as the ocean.

Traditional dances of Kiribati are a unique form of art and self-expression. The movements of the legs, arms and of course the whole body imitate the movement of frigate birds when walking and flying. The costumes are made from local materials. The frigate bird symbolizes many important things in the traditional Kiribati life context. It provides navigation for fishermen lost at sea, provides people with weather information, and provides a sign of peace and harmony.

Visitors can experience Kiribati culture in many forms and variations. However, we recommend the best way is to take the plunge and live on an outer island for a week and fully immerse yourself in the everyday culture.