Kiribati

Kiribati is an independent island nation in the Central Pacific. The permanent population is over 119,000 (2020), more than half of whom live in Tarawa Atoll. The state consists of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, Banaba. It has a total area of ​​811 square kilometers (313 square miles) and is spread over 3.5 million km2 (1.4 million square miles).

Their spread straddles the equator and the 180 degree meridian, but the International Date Line circles Kiribati, sways far east, and reaches almost 150 degrees west. This will place Kiribati's easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands south of Hawaii, on the same day as the Gilbert Islands, in UTC + 14, the most advanced time zone on the planet. Kiribati is the only country in the world located in all four Cardinal hemispheres.

Kiribati became independent of England and became a sovereign state in 1979. Today, the most populous region of the capital, South Tarawa, is made up of numerous islets connected by a series of Causeways. These occupy about half the area of ​​Tarawa Atoll. Prior to independence, the country exported phosphate. However, these mines no longer drive much of the economy in fishing and copra exports. Kiribati is one of the least developed countries in the world and relies heavily on international aid for its economy.

Kiribati is a member of the Pacific Community (SPC), Commonwealth of Nations, IMF, World Bank, and OACPS, became a full member of the United Nations in 1999, and a member of the Pacific Islands Forum. As an island nation, the islands are extremely vulnerable to climate change, and as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States, addressing climate change is a central part of its international policy.