Kiribati explained to kids

Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central Pacific Ocean. The permanent population is just over 110,000, more than 80% of whom live on the atoll of Tarawa. The nation comprises 33 atolls and reef islands and one raised coral island, Banaba. They have a total land area of 811 square kilometers and are dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometers. Their spread straddles the equator and the 180th meridian, although the International Date Line is east of Kiribati's easternmost islands. The Gilbert Islands were previously named the Kingsmill Islands. The Kiribati archipelago was discovered by Spanish explorer Cristóbal González in 1576. The archipelago was named by British captain John Marshall, after he sighted many ibises (ki-ri-bas) on the islands. Kiribati was claimed by the United Kingdom in 1892 and annexed by Australia in 1915 as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony. The Gilbert Islands became a Crown colony in 1916 and the Ellice Islands in 1974. Kiribati became independent from the United Kingdom in 1979 and from Australia in 1980. It is the only country in the world to be located in all four hemispheres. With a population of just over 110,000 people, Kiribati is the 33rd most populous country in the world. The majority of the residents are of Micronesian descent, with a significant minority of Polynesian descent. The official languages are English and Gilbertese, with Gilbertese being the most spoken. Kiribati is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the IMF, and the World Bank, and became a full member of the United Nations in 1999. The US State Department includes Kiribati in the Pacific Islands category of its list of countries. Kiribati consists of 33 atolls and one raised coral island scattered over 3.5 million square kilometers in the central Pacific Ocean. The atolls and reef islands are divided into three distinct groups: the Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands, and Line Islands. The Gilbert Islands are the main group and are located atoll-side-by-side to each other in an approximate northwest to southeast orientation and about 1,150 kilometers (710 mi) from east to west. They lie between 167°E and 146°E and 2°N and 3°S, and are located west of the international date line. The Phoenix Islands are a group of eight scattered atolls located in the central Pacific Ocean between 167°50'E and 178°30'E, and between 5° and 8° south latitude. They are located about halfway between Hawaii and Fiji, and about 2,650 kilometers (1,650 mi) east-southeast of the Gilbert Islands. The Line Islands are a group of eight scattered atolls located in the central Pacific Ocean between 163°E and 168°38'E, and between 5° and 10° north latitude. They are located about 2,200 kilometers (1,367 mi) southeast of the Gilbert Islands and about 3,500 kilometers (2,175 mi) southwest of the Phoenix Islands.