Line Islands

The Line Islands are a widely scattered chain of coral islands and atolls in the central Pacific, divided between Kiribati and the United States.

Atoll: A ring-shaped coral reef, island, or chain of islets enclosing a lagoon. Most Line Islands are atolls built around central lagoons.
Hotspot volcanism: Volcanism caused by a mantle source that remains relatively fixed as a tectonic plate moves over it. A hotspot is one proposed source of the islands’ volcanic foundations.
Kiritimati: The largest coral atoll in the world by land area, belonging to Kiribati in the Line Islands. Its size and population make it the chain’s most prominent inhabited island.
Kiribati: An island country spanning the equator in the central Pacific. Kiribati governs most of the Line Islands, including Kiritimati.
Phoenix Islands: A group of Kiribati islands and atolls southeast of the Line Islands. They are a separate Kiribati archipelago often compared with the Line Islands.
Coral reef: A marine ecosystem and limestone structure built chiefly by reef-forming corals. Reef growth formed the islands’ land and continues to shape their shores.
Pacific Plate: The largest tectonic plate, carrying much of the Pacific Ocean basin. Its motion shaped the ages and alignment of volcanic seamounts beneath the chain.
Christmas Island nuclear tests: British and American atmospheric nuclear tests conducted near Christmas Island in the 1950s and 1960s. The tests left a major military and environmental legacy on Kiritimati and nearby waters.
Palmyra Atoll: A remote atoll in the northern Line Islands, incorporated as an unorganized U.S. territory. It is the chain’s principal U.S.-administered island group.
Society Islands: A volcanic and coral island group in French Polynesia, including Tahiti. They contrast with the Line Islands in location, political status, and island composition.

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