page_title: Kiribati
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Kiribati / History
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Krieger aus Tabiteuea, mit Haizahnwaffen (Trident: Taumangaria, zweireihiges Schwert Terere) und Kriegsrüstung aus Kokosfaser (Te tanga ni buaka), ca. 1841 (Kiribati, früher Gilbertinseln) English: Gilbertese warriors of Tabiteuea, with shark's teeth weapons (shark's tooth weapon: trident Taumangaria, sword Terere) and cocos fibres war armours (gilbertese: Te tanga ni buaka), about 1841 (Kiribati, former Gilbert Islands) Français&#160;: Guerriers gilbertiens de Tabiteua, pourvus d'armes garnies de dents de requins (un trident Taumangaria, une épée Terere) et d'armures de guerre en fibre de coco (en gilbertien&#160;: Te tanga ni buaka), autour de 1841 (Kiribati, anciennes îles Gilbert).
context_page_description: Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an independent country in the central Pacific Ocean. The permanent population is just over 110,000, more than half of whom live on Tarawa atoll. The state comprises 32 atolls and one raised coral island, Banaba. They have a total land area of 811 square kilometres and are dispersed over 3.5 million km².
  Their spread straddles the equator and the 180th meridian, although the International Date Line goes round Kiribati and swings far to the east, almost reaching the 150° W meridian. This brings Kiribati's easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands south of Hawaii, into the same day as the Gilbert Islands and places them in the most advanced time zone on Earth: UTC+14. Kiribati is one of the few countries in the world to be situated in all four hemispheres.
  Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming a sovereign state in 1979. The capital, South Tarawa, now the most populated area, consists of a number of islets, connected by a series of causeways. These comprise about half the area of Tarawa atoll.
caption: Gilbertese warriors of Tabiteuea, with shark's teeth weapons, about 1841
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