Knowra Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati is an island country in the central Pacific Ocean, comprising the Gilbert, Phoenix, and Line island groups. Its territory spans the equator and the International Date Line.
Gilbert Islands : A chain of islands in the western Pacific that forms the most populous part of Kiribati. Most of Kiribati’s people and government institutions are concentrated in this island group.
Gilbert and Ellice Islands : A British colony in the Pacific that combined the Gilbert Islands with the Ellice Islands until their separation in 1975. Kiribati’s colonial-era administration grew from the Gilbert Islands portion of this colony.
Sea-level rise : A long-term increase in the average height of the oceans, driven mainly by warming seawater and melting land ice. Rising seas threaten Kiribati’s low-lying atolls, freshwater supplies, and coastal settlements.
I-Kiribati : The demonym for the people of Kiribati; it is also used for the country’s principal language. The term expresses a shared national identity across widely separated island groups.
Phoenix Islands : A remote Kiribati island group in the central Pacific, mostly uninhabited. This sparsely populated group gives Kiribati a large and ecologically significant ocean territory.
Ellice Islands : The former name of Tuvalu’s island group, administered with the Gilbert Islands under British rule. The Ellice Islands separated from the colonial grouping and became a different independent country.
Climate adaptation : Adjustments to human or natural systems that reduce harm from actual or expected climate change. Kiribati uses adaptation planning to address flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion.
Gilbertese language : An Austronesian language, also called Gilbertese or Kiribati, spoken primarily in Kiribati. Gilbertese is the main language of everyday communication and national cultural life.
Line Islands : A chain of islands and atolls in the central Pacific, including Kiribati’s easternmost territory. Kiribati’s Line Islands extend its territory far east of the Gilbert Islands.
Kiribati Independence Act 1979 : A United Kingdom law that provided for the Gilbert Islands to become the independent Republic of Kiribati. The act established the legal transition to Kiribati’s independence on 12 July 1979.
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