Kiribati

Interesting Facts About Kiribati

• Kiribati spans the Micronesia and Polynesia sub-regions across 3.4 million square kilometres of ocean, with its easternmost islands in the most advanced time zone on Earth: UTC+14.
• The International Date Line swings far east around Kiribati, placing the country's southern Line Islands in the same day as the Gilbert Islands despite being thousands of kilometres apart.
• About 90% of Kiribati's population lives in the Gilbert Islands, with over half concentrated on South Tarawa, which has grown from 17,921 people in 1978 to an estimated 69,710 in 2024.
• The native I-Kiribati people are ethnically Micronesians, but around the 14th century, invasions by Fijians, Samoans, and Tongans introduced Polynesian linguistic traits and ethnic diversity.
• Gilbertese, the primary language of Kiribati, contains numerous loanwords from European settlers, including 'kamea' for dog (derived from Europeans saying 'come here' to their dogs) and 'wanikiba' meaning plane (literally 'the flying canoe').
• Christianity dominates Kiribati's religion, with Roman Catholicism comprising 58.9% of the population, introduced by missionaries only in the latter half of the 19th century.
• Most houses in Kiribati are traditionally made from materials obtained from coconut and pandanus trees, with islanders historically relying on fishing and outrigger sailing for livelihood.

View South Tarawa guide