Kiribati (/ˌkɪrɪˈbæs, -ˈbɑːti/),[11] officially the Republic of Kiribati (Gilbertese: [Ribaberiki] Kiribati),[2][5][12] is an independent island nation in the central Pacific Ocean. The permanent population is over 119,000 (2020), more than half of whom live on Tarawa atoll. The state comprises 32 atolls and one raised coral island, Banaba. They have a total land area of 811 square kilometres (313 square miles)[13] and are dispersed over 3.5 million km2 (1.4 million sq mi).
Their spread straddles the equator and the 180th meridian, although the International Date Line goes around Kiribati and swings far to the east, almost reaching the 150° W meridian. This brings Kiribati’s easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands south of Hawaii, into the same day as the Gilbert Islands and places them in the most advanced time zone on Earth: UTC+14. Kiribati is the only country in the world to be situated in all four Cardinal Hemispheres.[14]
Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming a sovereign state in 1979. The capital, Tarawa, now the most populated area, consists of a number of islets, connected by a series of causeways. These comprise about half the area of Tarawa atoll. Prior to its independence, the country had exported phosphate; however, those mines are no longer viable with fisheries and export of copra driving much of the economy. Kiribati is one of the least developed countries in the world and is highly dependent on international aid for its economy.
Kiribati is a member of the Pacific Community (SPC), Commonwealth of Nations, the IMF, and the World Bank, the OACPS and became a full member of the United Nations in 1999 and also a member of the Pacific Islands Forum.[15][16][17] As an island nation, the islands are very vulnerable to climate change and addressing climate change has been a central part of its international policy, as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States.
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