Kiribati — Capital, Flag and Country Facts

Explore Kiribati: capital Tarawa, population, flag, geography, languages, history and culture.

Kiribati is in Oceania. Its capital is Tarawa.

Climate

Tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs; highest point is only a few meters above sea level

Kiribati is the first place to welcome each new day due to its timezone.

Kiribati spans all four hemispheres - north, south, east, and west.

The country purchased land in Fiji as a potential relocation site due to rising sea levels.

1788: British Captain Thomas Gilbert sights the islands, giving them their English name

1892: Gilbert and Ellice Islands become a British protectorate

1943: Battle of Tarawa, one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific War

1979: Independence from Britain as the Republic of Kiribati

1995: Kiribati shifts the International Date Line to unify its time zones