Kiribati project

LOCATION

Kiribati consists of 32 coral atolls and one island. The islands are divided in three main
groups Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands, and Line Islands( Banaba doesn’t belong to any of
these groups). 21 of the islands are inhabited, the 16 Gilbert Islands, one of the Phoenix islands
(Kanton Island), three of the line islands and Banaba.
. Kiribati is halfway between Hawaii and Australia in the Micronesian and Polynesian regions
of the South Pacific.
Kiribati island chains pass through both the international date line and the equator which makes
it the only country of the world to straddle across 4 hemispheres but On 1 January 1995 Kiribati
moved the International Date Line to include its easternmost islands and make it the same day
throughout the country, this means Kiribati is the first country to start every day and the first
one to celebrate New Year

HISTORY

The first Austronesian voyagers arrived in the Gilbert Islands as early as 3000 B.C., but these
islands were not widely settled until about A.D. 200 by Micronesians. Around 1300, Samoans
and Tongans invaded the southern Gilbert Islands, bringing Polynesian cultural elements with
them. The first recorded European encounter with Kiribati was by the Spanish explorer Quirós
in 1606. the UK declared a protectorate over the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati) and the Ellice
Islands (now Tuvalu) in 1892 to block growing US influence on the islands. In 1916, the
protectorate became a colony, and some Line Islands were added in 1916 and 1919, with the
final ones added in 1972. The Phoenix Islands were added to the colony in 1937. During the II
world War Japan occupied the northern Gilbert Islands in 1941; On Nov. 21, 1943, American
forces attacked the Tarawa islet of Betio and defeated the Japanese forces. Tarawa Atoll became
the setting for one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific and was a major turning point in the war
for the Allies. The UK continued to rule the colony after World War II. In 1975, the Ellice
Islands separated from the colony and became the independent nation of Tuvalu. Finally, The
Gilbert Islands became fully self-governing in 1977 and independent in 1979 adopting the name
of Kiribati.

PEOPLE AND SOCIETY

The total population of the country is approximately of 114,189 people and almost half is under
25 years old. In terms of population distribution, the Line Islands and the one inhabited Phoenix
Island are sparsely populated, but the western Gilbert Islands are some of the most densely
settled places on earth, with the main island of South Tarawa having a population density
similar to Tokyo or Hong Kong. This overcrowding, coupled with garbage management
problems, has led to heavy pollution in the Tarawa lagoon.

The native people of Kiribati are called "I-Kiribati." The word "Kiribati" is actually the local
spelling of the word "Gilbert”, original name of the British colony.

LANGUAGE AND RELIGION

The people of Kiribati speak a Micronesian dialect called Gilbertese or Kiribati language,
however, English is the official language but is not used very often outside the island capital of
Tarawa. Gilbertese only has 13 different letters in its alphabet and -ti is pronounced as an s.
More than half of the population is Roman Catholic, and most of the rest is Kiribati Protestant
(Congregational), Mormons also have some influence in the region

CULTURE

The culture of Kiribati has greatly been preserved by the isolation that comes
with being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Although missionaries begun to
arrive to the country in the XIX century much of the traditions and beliefs of the
people have remained the same, while the adoption of Christianity has created its
own interesting history. Today many of the outer islands live in very traditional
ways, Tarawa, the capital, is more influence by development and globalization –
however people maintain traditional customs, values and way of life.

Community

The essence of community is common – people form community through sharing

of objects, environments and spaces, and this is a lot in Kiribati. With many
people in a small place, people share the natural resources that they live off. The
I-Kiribati people often live in close quarters with their extended family, and
living and working in harmony with neighbors and family is of high importance.

The Maneaba and Celebration

At the center of community life is the Maneaba – a rectangular structure used as

a meeting place for the village community. This is where traditional meetings are
held, including celebrations known as botaki. The I-Kiribati hold a very special
celebration for the 1st birthday of their children, especially for their first-born
child. Other big botakis include weddings and the 21st birthday

The national holiday is the Kiribati Independence Day (the 12th of July), when
there are competitions in dancing, choir, singing, and different sports events like
traditional wrestling, canoe racing, and Oreano, a sport involving throwing large
heavy balls toward the other team and hoping they cannot catch it.

FOOD

Coconut palms dominate the landscape on each island. Together with the products of
the reef and the ocean, coconuts are the major contributors to village diet—not only the
nuts themselves but also the sap. The gathered sap, or toddy, is used in cooking and as a
sweet beverage; fermented, it becomes an intoxicating drink. Breadfruit and pandanus
also are grown. Pigs and chickens are raised.

ECONOMY

Kiribati is a country that has few natural resources and is one of the least developed
Pacific Island countries. Until 1979, when Banaba’s deposit of phosphate rock was
exhausted, Kiribati’s economy depended heavily on the export of that mineral.
Although nowadays South Tarawa has an extensive wage economy, most of the people
living on outer islands are subsistence farmers with small incomes from copra (dried
coconut meat used to produce coconut oil) fishing, or handicrafts. Kiribati is dependent
on foreign aid for most capital and development expenditure. Food accounts for about
one-third of all imports, most of which come from Australia, Japan, and Singapore;
Japan and Thailand are the major export destinations.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Kiribati is internationally recognised as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to

climate change impacts. Most of its 33 islands sit less than two metres above sea level.
The impacts of climate change on Kiribati’s freshwater supplies, coastal infrastructure,
agricultural land, reefs and fisheries are projected to increase over time, particularly in
South Tarawa, the capital. In order to help its citizens, the government of Kiribati has
already bought land in Fiji and China for I-kirbati to emigrate to in the case of all
islands flooding and becoming uninhabitable.