Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati
Micronesia
Atoll · Remote · Rising
Kiribati (officially Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati) is a country located in Micronesia. Its capital city is South Tarawa, with other major cities including Betio and Bikenibeu. With a population of approximately 120,000, the main languages spoken are English, Gilbertese. The country covers an area of 811 km². The official currency is the Australian dollar ($), Kiribati dollar ($). Traffic drives on the left side.
Kiribati spans more longitude than any other country on Earth — its islands straddle both the equator and the International Date Line, meaning it is the first nation to see each new year.
South Tarawa serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Kiribati, positioned in Micronesia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Betio, Bikenibeu — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. South Tarawa is one of the world's most densely populated atolls — a strip of land 2 metres above sea level containing 60,000 people in 32 square kilometres — facing an existential threat from sea level rise that could make the entire country uninhabitable within decades, making Kiribati the world's most prominent case study in climate change displacement.
With a population of approximately 120,000, Kiribati is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are English, Gilbertese, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Kiribati is reached via the dialling code +686. I-Kiribati people navigate the tension between their Pacific island culture and the increasingly unavoidable reality that their homeland may be submerged — the government has purchased land in Fiji as a possible future relocation site while simultaneously investing in sea walls and land reclamation in a political communication that refuses to fully surrender the islands while preparing for the possibility.
Kiribati spans 811 km², in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania. Geographically centred around 1.4°N, 173.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Oceania convention.
The official currency is the Australian dollar ($), Kiribati dollar ($), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Kiribati's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+12:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Volleyball holds a special place in the heart of Kiribati's national identity. Football and volleyball are Kiribati's primary sports, with the national football team competing in OFC tournaments against vastly larger Pacific nations — but the traditional te bino fishing technique (catching yellowfin tuna by hand from an outrigger canoe, feeling the line as the fish strikes) is the athletic skill most embedded in I-Kiribati identity and cultural pride.
The highest point in Kiribati is Unnamed hill (Banaba), rising to 81 metres above sea level. Kiribati's 33 atolls span more ocean than the continental United States — from the Gilbert Islands near the equator to the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands reaching into the central Pacific — with the Phoenix Islands Protected Area being one of the world's largest marine protected areas, encompassing 408,000 square kilometres of some of the Pacific's most pristine deep-sea and coral reef ecosystems.