Due to frequent droughts and the lack of large crops, the islanders have found it necessary to turn to the sea for livelihood. Most are outrigger sailors and fishers. Copra plantations serve as a second source of employment. In recent years, large numbers of Kiribatians have moved to the more urban island capital of Tarawa. To increase the opportunities of the islanders, the government has placed greater emphasis on education.
Primary education is free and compulsory for the first six years.
Mission schools are slowly being absorbed into the government primary school system. The I'Kiribati people are Micronesians, but recent archeological evidence indicates that the islands were originally settled by Austronesians thousands of years ago. Around the 14th century A.D., the islands were invaded by Fijians and Tongans. Intermarriage led to a population reasonably homogeneous in appearance and traditions. The first recorded European encounter with Kiribati was by the Spanish explorer Quiros in 1606.