The Republic of Kiribati

Kiritimati (Christmas Island) is the world’s largest coral atoll by land area.

Fishing license fees from its vast ocean territory, particularly for tuna, are one of Kiribati’s main sources of government revenue.

As most of its islands lie less than three meters above sea level, Kiribati bought land in Fiji in 2014 to help secure its future food supply against rising seas.

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, and was the largest and deepest UNESCO World Heritage Site when it was inscribed in 2010.

The maneaba, a traditional meeting house, is the heart of community life in Kiribati, and even the national parliament takes its name from it: the Maneaba ni Maungatabu.

Kiribati consists of 33 coral atolls and islands, of which only around 20 are inhabited.

Kiribati is the only country located in all four hemispheres: northern, southern, eastern and western.

Babai, a giant swamp taro grown in pits dug into the coral, is Kiribati’s most prized crop, traditionally reserved for feasts and ceremonies.

Although its land area is just 811 square kilometers, Kiribati’s ocean territory covers more than 3.4 million square kilometers, larger than India.

Kiribati is one of the few countries in the world without a standing army.

Kiribati’s traditional dance is known for precise arm movements that imitate the flight of the frigatebird, the national symbol featured on the country’s flag.

Kiribati’s Line Islands are the first place on Earth to welcome each New Year.