Overview
Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an archipelagic country spanning the Micronesia and Polynesia sub-regions of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. The state comprises 32 atolls and other islands plus one remote raised coral island, Banaba. Despite its vast ocean territory of 3,441,810 km² (1,328,890 sq mi), Kiribati's total land area is only 811 km² (313 sq mi).
The country's islands stretch from Banaba in the west to Kiritimati in the east, straddling the equator and the 180th meridian. The International Date Line curves around Kiribati, bringing its easternmost islands into UTC+14, the most advanced time zone on Earth.
Population and People
Kiribati has a permanent population of just over 138,000 as of the 2026 census, with more than half living on Tarawa, the capital. The I-Kiribati are a Micronesian people who speak the Gilbertese language.
A significant I-Kiribati diaspora exists, with the largest communities in New Zealand, which continues to grow through emigration. Historical diasporic communities were created through resettlement in the Solomon Islands and through intermarriage in the United Kingdom and United States. Australia has also developed growing diasporic communities through recent labour immigration.
Etymology and Pronunciation
The name Kiribati is pronounced KIRR-i-bass, as the -ti in the Gilbertese language represents an [s] sound. Similarly, the country's people, the I-Kiribati, are pronounced ee-KIRR-i-bass.
The name was adopted upon the country's independence in 1979. It is the Gilbertese rendition of "Gilberts," named after the Gilbert Islands, the nation's main archipelago. The islands were named îles Gilbert (French for 'Gilbert Islands') around 1820 by Russian admiral Adam von Krusenstern and French captain Louis Duperrey, after British captain Thomas Gilbert, who sighted some islands in 1788.
The rendition Kiribati for Gilberts was chosen as the official name of the new independent state to indicate that it was modern and to show the inclusion of islands beyond the Gilbert chain, such as the Phoenix and Line Islands.
History
Early Settlement and Development
The area now called Kiribati has been inhabited by Austronesian peoples speaking the same Oceanic language since sometime between 3000 BC and 1300 AD. The area was not completely isolated; later, voyagers from Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji introduced Polynesian and Melanesian cultural aspects.
Around AD 1300, a mass departure from Samoa led to the addition of Polynesian ancestry into the mix of most Gilbertese people. These Samoans brought strong features of Polynesian languages and culture, creating clans based on their own traditions and intertwining with indigenous groups already dominant in Kiribati.
Around the 15th century, contrasting governance systems arose between the northern islands, primarily under chiefly rule (uea), and the central and southern islands, primarily under the rule of their council of elders (unimwaane).
Colonial Period and Independence
The Gilbert Islands were annexed as a British protectorate in 1892. This annexation ended in 1979, when Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom and became a sovereign state. The new sovereign state included the Gilberts, the Phoenix and Line islands, and Banaba.
Prior to independence, the country exported phosphate, but the mine on Banaba is now virtually exhausted and no longer viable. The descendants of the Banabans mostly live in exile on Rabi in Fiji but are represented in the Kiribati Parliament.
Government and International Relations
Tarawa, now the most populated area, serves as the capital. The capital consists of a number of islets connected by a series of causeways, comprising about half the area of Tarawa Atoll.
Kiribati is a member of the Pacific Community, Commonwealth of Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States. The country became a full member of the United Nations in 1999.
Economy
Fisheries, subsistence agriculture, and the export of copra drive much of the economy, particularly on outer islands away from Tarawa. Kiribati is one of the least developed countries in the world, and its government is highly dependent on fishing licence fees from foreign fleets and international capital aid to finance infrastructure and other projects.
Many families rely on remittances from circular labour migrants, including seafarers, agricultural workers, and urban service workers. Others work for the government, private organizations, or run trade stores and small cooperative-like businesses. The government provides benefits to the unemployed on Tarawa and to the elderly.
Climate Change and Environmental Challenges
As an atoll and low-lying island nation, Kiribati is acutely vulnerable to sea-level rise and climate change, in addition to threats from tsunamis. Addressing climate change has been a central part of its international policy, as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States. In Kiribati, climate change and extreme weather events are predicted to become more frequent, with existing socio-economic and environmental pressures intensifying.