page_title: Abaiang
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Abaiang / Economy
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Council Office auf AbaiangEnglish: Abaiang Island Council Office
context_page_description: Abaiang, also known as Apaiang, Apia, and in the past, Charlotte Island, in the Northern Gilbert Islands, is a coral atoll of Kiribati, located in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Abaiang was the home of the first missionary to arrive in Kiribati, Hiram Bingham II. Abaiang has a population of 5,502.
context_section_description: Relative to other islands of Kiribati, Abaiang has some important economic advantages.  Its large lagoon supports a striking diversity of coral and fish species, providing plentiful seafood to the local population and attracting tourists to the island from nearby South Tarawa.  While the island is prone to drought, in normal years the rainfall is sufficient to support breadfruit, banana and papaya as well as the ubiquitous coconut.  The closeness of Abaiang to Tarawa also facilitates a significant, though largely informal, trade in local food of all types.
  However like all outer islands of Kiribati, Abaiang is basically a subsistence economy, with a small number of jobs, mainly working for the Government or Island Council.  Other sources of income are copra production, and remittances from relatives working in South Tarawa, as crew on international vessels, or overseas.
  Climate change has forced a change, as milkfish are not as common and plant life is dying off to the increased salt in the water table.
caption: Council Office on Abaiang Island
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