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Destination : KIRIBATI

Kiribati was first settled between 200 and 500 AD. Today Kiribati is an independent republic and comprises the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line groups of islands. There are some 30 low lying coral islands with a total land area of over 800 square kilometres. The capital is Tarawa and the population of 65,000 is mainly Micronesian. English is the official language, but Gilbertese and Kiribati are the main local languages. The country become a republic in 1979.
Kiribati used to be called "The Gilbert Islands". This territory was granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati. Kiribati lies in Oceania. It's a , group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia. On 1 January 1995, Kiribati unilaterally moved the International Date Line from the middle of the country to include its easternmost islands and make it the same day throughout the country. Kiribati has an elected President and a legislative assembly. Kiribati includes three administrative units, sixteen atolls of the former Gilbert Islands, eight atolls of the former Line Islands (including Christmas Island and Fanning Island), and eight atolls of the former Phoenix Islands. Kiribati has few natural resources, and its economy is very small. The islands are not self-sufficient in food. Tourist facilities are not widely available

The climate is tropical and the wet season is from November to April. Local currency is the Australian dollar. Local taxis and buses are available on South Tarawa and boats and ferries operate to the outer islands. There are scheduled flights from Tarawa to the outer islands.

The war relics on Betio are a reminder of the thousands of American and Japanese soldiers killed there in WW2. The islet of Betio where the Battle of Tarawa took place offers a wealth of war history and many relics. When you visit Tarawa you should not miss a tour to view the many World War 2 relics still to be seen.