Kiribati - a drop in the Pacific

Going west on South Tarawa - ocean side to the left, lagoon side to the right

In November 2022, I dropped into South Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands group within the nation of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) for a six to 12 months stay.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1350215

So where in the world is that? 

In the middle of the Pacific.

South Tarawa is the southern arm of the Tarawa atoll in the north of the Gilbert Islands group (see the first map).

The Gilbert Islands are in the west of the nation of Kiribati, north of Fiji and NZ (see the second map). The eastern arm of Kiribati (3500+km away) is south of Hawaii.

Kiribati is the only country in the world that straddles all four hemispheres: i.e., north and south of the equator, east and west of the 180th meridian which marks the international date line.

https://www.mapsland.com/oceania/kiribati/political-map-of-kiribati

Curious factoid, the International Date Line was adjusted to go round the eastern boundary of Kiribati in 1994 so that the eastern parts of the nation are just an hour or two ahead of Tarawa rather than 22 and 23 hours behind!

The nation of Kiribati is made up of 33 islands that span three time zones (the same as Australia). 

Those 33 islands make up a land area of only 810km2.

How big is 810km2?

About the size of the city of Canberra (814km2). Slightly bigger than Singapore (726km2). About 80% of the area of Hong Kong (1073km2).

Of the 33 islands that make up Kiribati, the largest island, Kiritimati Island (also known as Christmas Island - not to be confused with the one in the Indian Ocean) in the Line Islands makes up just under half of Kiribati's total land area at 388km2.

The population of the country is 120,000 people spread across 20 inhabited islands. 

Half of the total population of Kiribati lives on the 'island' of South Tarawa.

South Tarawa is actually a string of tiny islets that are connected by causeways to make a coral atoll necklace 35km in length. 

South Tarawa's land area is just 15.8km2.

So how big is 15.8km2?

Smaller than Rottnest Island off Perth (19km2). Smaller than Key West (18.7km2). About 4.6 times the size of Central Park in New York (3.4km2). A tiny bit bigger than the suburb of Robina on the Gold Coast (15km2).

And into that tiny space are stuffed 60,000 people.

There are virtually no buildings higher than two stories in South Tarawa, and only a very few that would pass planning permission by Australian / North American / European standards or even count as a 'building'.

So what is Kiribati like? 

It has its charms, but it is very impoverished: lack of fresh water, lack of land, lack of sustainable economy, lack of development, lack of money. 

On the other hand, coconuts and fish and sunshine are boundless. So is litter and plastic pollution.

Kiribati seems to be paradise and squalor in equal parts. And the 'equal parts' may be a measurement error.

For some other useful resources on Kiribati, check out the following:

• Country facts and figures: https://www.britannica.com/place/Kiribati
  
  
• Culture & 25 things about Kiribati you didn't know (and some that you'd probably prefer not to know): https://youtu.be/qZcc2AqgY6E