129-607: Betio is the largest township of Kiribati 's capital city, South Tarawa , and the country's main port. The settlement is located on a separate islet at the extreme southwest of the atoll. Betio Post Office opened on 5 April 1957 and closed in 1964. In 1967, the Marine Training Centre was created by Hamburg Süd . John Hilary Smith , governor of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands created the Betio Town Council in 1972. Since
258-630: A British protectorate , along with the nearby Ellice Islands . They were administered by a resident commissioner based first on Makin Islands (1893–95), then in Betio , Tarawa (1896–1908) and Ocean Island (1908–1942), protectorate who was under the Western Pacific High Commission (WPHC) based in Fiji. Banaba , known to Europeans as Ocean Island, was added to the protectorate in 1900, because of
387-452: A US Embassy . The current U.S. Embassy responsible for Kiribati is located in Suva, Fiji . In November 1999, Kiribati agreed to allow Japan's National Space Development Agency to lease land on Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island) for 20 years, on which to build a spaceport . The agreement stipulated that Japan was to pay US$ 840,000 per year and would also pay for any damage to roads and
516-410: A halocline . If a zone undergoes a strong, vertical chemistry gradient with depth, it contains a chemocline . Temperature and salinity control ocean water density. Colder and saltier water is denser, and this density plays a crucial role in regulating the global water circulation within the ocean. The halocline often coincides with the thermocline, and the combination produces a pronounced pycnocline ,
645-489: A mid-ocean ridge , which creates a long mountain range beneath the ocean. Together they form the global mid-oceanic ridge system that features the longest mountain range in the world. The longest continuous mountain range is 65,000 km (40,000 mi). This underwater mountain range is several times longer than the longest continental mountain range – the Andes . Oceanographers state that less than 20% of
774-435: A parliamentary democratic republic. The executive branch consists of a president ( te Beretitenti ), a vice-president and a cabinet . The president, who is also chief of the cabinet, is directly elected by the citizens, after the legislature nominates three or four persons from among its members to be candidates in the ensuing presidential election. The president is limited to serving three four-year terms, and remains
903-685: A 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati ( ratified in 1983 ). Although the indigenous Gilbertese name for the Gilbert Islands proper is "Tungaru", the new state chose the name "Kiribati", the Gilbertese spelling of "Gilberts", because it was more modern and as an equivalent of the former colony to acknowledge the inclusion of Banaba, the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands . The last two archipelagoes were never initially occupied by Gilbertese until
1032-488: A cost of 9.3 million Australian dollars. In March 2016, Taneti Maamau was elected as the new President of Kiribati. He was the fifth president since the country became independent in 1979. In June 2020, President Maamau won re-election for a second four-year term. President Maamau was considered pro-China and he supported closer ties with Beijing. On 16 November 2021, the Kiribati government announced it would expose
1161-527: A factor, with acquisition of land being the main form of conquest. Clans and chiefs began fighting over resources, fueled by hatred and reignited blood feuds, which may have started months, years, or even decades before. The turmoil lasted well into the European visitation and colonial era, which led to certain islands decimating their foes with the help of guns and cannon-equipped ships that Europeans provided to some I-Kiribati leaders. The typical military arms of
1290-579: A gentle breeze on a pond causes ripples to form. A stronger gust blowing over the ocean causes larger waves as the moving air pushes against the raised ridges of water. The waves reach their maximum height when the rate at which they are travelling nearly matches the speed of the wind. In open water, when the wind blows continuously as happens in the Southern Hemisphere in the Roaring Forties , long, organized masses of water called swell roll across
1419-420: A group of seafaring people from Melanesia , who were described as being dark-skinned, frizzy-haired, and short in stature. These indigenous peoples were then visited by early Austronesian seafarers from the west, a place called Matang, orally described as being tall and fair-skinned. Eventually, both groups intermittently clashed and intermingled until they slowly became a uniform population. Around 1300 CE,
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#17328477844721548-424: A huge heat reservoir . Ocean scientists split the ocean into vertical and horizontal zones based on physical and biological conditions. The pelagic zone is the open ocean's water column from the surface to the ocean floor. The water column is further divided into zones based on depth and the amount of light present. The photic zone starts at the surface and is defined to be "the depth at which light intensity
1677-432: A mass departure occurred from Samoa leading to the addition of Polynesian ancestry into the mix of most Gilbertese people. These Samoans later brought strong features of Polynesian languages and culture, creating clans based on their own Samoan traditions and slowly intertwining with the indigenous clans and powers already dominant in Kiribati. Around the 15th century, starkly contrasting systems of governance arose between
1806-557: A member of the assembly. The cabinet is composed of the president, vice-president, and 13 ministers (appointed by the president) who are also members of parliament . The legislative branch is the unicameral Maneaba ni Maungatabu (House of Assembly). Its members are elected, including by constitutional mandate, a nominated representative of the Banaban people in Rabi Island , Fiji (Banaba, former Ocean Island), in addition to, until 2016,
1935-611: A new embassy in Kiribati and Tonga and reestablish the Peace Corps presence in the region. Law enforcement in Kiribati is carried out by the Kiribati Police Service which is responsible for all law enforcement and paramilitary duties for the island nation. There are police posts located on all of the islands. The police have one patrol boat, the Guardian-class patrol boat RKS Teanoai II . The main prison in Kiribati
2064-496: A shallow area and this, coupled with a low pressure system, can raise the surface of the ocean dramatically above a typical high tide. The average depth of the oceans is about 4 km. More precisely the average depth is 3,688 meters (12,100 ft). Nearly half of the world's marine waters are over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) deep. "Deep ocean," which is anything below 200 meters (660 ft), covers about 66% of Earth's surface. This figure does not include seas not connected to
2193-403: A wave-cut platform develops at the foot of the cliff and this has a protective effect, reducing further wave-erosion. Material worn from the margins of the land eventually ends up in the sea. Here it is subject to attrition as currents flowing parallel to the coast scour out channels and transport sand and pebbles away from their place of origin. Sediment carried to the sea by rivers settles on
2322-406: A zone undergoes dramatic changes in temperature with depth, it contains a thermocline , a distinct boundary between warmer surface water and colder deep water. In tropical regions, the thermocline is typically deeper compared to higher latitudes. Unlike polar waters , where solar energy input is limited, temperature stratification is less pronounced, and a distinct thermocline is often absent. This
2451-439: Is a bay , a small bay with a narrow inlet is a cove and a large bay may be referred to as a gulf . Coastlines are influenced by several factors including the strength of the waves arriving on the shore, the gradient of the land margin, the composition and hardness of the coastal rock, the inclination of the off-shore slope and the changes of the level of the land due to local uplift or submergence. Normally, waves roll towards
2580-444: Is an important reference point for oceanography and geography, particularly as mean sea level . The ocean surface has globally little, but measurable topography , depending on the ocean's volumes. The ocean surface is a crucial interface for oceanic and atmospheric processes. Allowing interchange of particles, enriching the air and water, as well as grounds by some particles becoming sediments . This interchange has fertilized life in
2709-414: Is conventionally divided. The following names describe five different areas of the ocean: Pacific , Atlantic , Indian , Antarctic/Southern , and Arctic . The ocean contains 97% of Earth's water and is the primary component of Earth's hydrosphere and is thereby essential to life on Earth. The ocean influences climate and weather patterns, the carbon cycle , and the water cycle by acting as
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#17328477844722838-411: Is customarily divided into five principal oceans – listed below in descending order of area and volume: The ocean fills Earth's oceanic basins . Earth's oceanic basins cover different geologic provinces of Earth's oceanic crust as well as continental crust . As such it covers mainly Earth's structural basins , but also continental shelfs . In mid-ocean, magma is constantly being thrust through
2967-399: Is due to the fact that surface waters in polar latitudes are nearly as cold as deeper waters. Below the thermocline, water everywhere in the ocean is very cold, ranging from −1 °C to 3 °C. Because this deep and cold layer contains the bulk of ocean water, the average temperature of the world ocean is 3.9 °C. If a zone undergoes dramatic changes in salinity with depth, it contains
3096-409: Is expected to be the first country to lose all its land territory to climate change . In June 2008, Kiribati President Anote Tong said that the country had reached "the point of no return." He added, "To plan for the day when you no longer have a country is indeed painful but I think we have to do that." In January 2012, Anote Tong was re-elected for a third and last successive term. In early 2012,
3225-500: Is irregular, unevenly dominating the Earth's surface . This leads to the distinction of the Earth's surface into a water and land hemisphere , as well as the division of the ocean into different oceans. Seawater covers about 361,000,000 km (139,000,000 sq mi) and the ocean's furthest pole of inaccessibility , known as " Point Nemo ", in a region known as spacecraft cemetery of
3354-605: Is located in Betio , named the Walter Betio Prison. There is also a prison in London on Kiritimati . Male homosexuality is illegal in Kiribati, with a penalty up to 14 years in prison, according to a historical British law; however, this law is not enforced. Kiribati has not yet followed the lead of the United Kingdom, following its Wolfenden report , to decriminalise acts of male homosexuality, beginning with provisions in
3483-609: Is no longer divided into districts (see Subdivisions of Kiribati ). Kiribati has formal political parties but their organisation is quite informal. Ad hoc opposition groups tend to coalesce around specific issues. There is universal suffrage at age 18. Today the only recognisable parties are the Boutokaan Kiribati Moa Party , former Boutokaan te Koaua , and Tobwaan Kiribati Party . Kiribati maintains close relations with its Pacific neighbours, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Fiji. The first three of these provide
3612-462: Is only 1% of the surface value" (approximately 200 m in the open ocean). This is the zone where photosynthesis can occur. In this process plants and microscopic algae (free floating phytoplankton ) use light, water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to produce organic matter. As a result, the photic zone is the most biodiverse and the source of the food supply which sustains most of the ocean ecosystem . Ocean photosynthesis also produces half of
3741-454: Is produced and magma is forced up creating underwater mountains, some of which may form chains of volcanic islands near to deep trenches. Near some of the boundaries between the land and sea, the slightly denser oceanic plates slide beneath the continental plates and more subduction trenches are formed. As they grate together, the continental plates are deformed and buckle causing mountain building and seismic activity. Every ocean basin has
3870-609: Is pronounced / iː ˈ k ɪr ɪ b æ s / ee- KIRR -i-bass . The name Kiribati was adopted upon the country's independence in 1979. It is the Gilbertese rendition of Gilberts, the plural of the English name of the nation's main archipelago, the Gilbert Islands . It was named îles Gilbert ( French for 'Gilbert Islands') in about 1820 by Russian admiral Adam von Krusenstern and French captain Louis Duperrey , after
3999-407: Is pushed across the surface of the ocean by the wind, but this represents a transfer of energy and not horizontal movement of water. As waves approach land and move into shallow water , they change their behavior. If approaching at an angle, waves may bend ( refraction ) or wrap around rocks and headlands ( diffraction ). When the wave reaches a point where its deepest oscillations of the water contact
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4128-423: Is reflected back out of the water. Red light is most easily absorbed and thus does not reach great depths, usually to less than 50 meters (164 ft). Blue light, in comparison, can penetrate up to 200 meters (656 ft). Second, water molecules and very tiny particles in ocean water preferentially scatter blue light more than light of other colors. Blue light scattering by water and tiny particles happens even in
4257-467: Is sometimes referred to as the World Ocean, global ocean or the great ocean . The concept of a continuous body of water with relatively unrestricted exchange between its components is critical in oceanography . The word ocean comes from the figure in classical antiquity , Oceanus ( / oʊ ˈ s iː ə n ə s / ; Ancient Greek : Ὠκεανός Ōkeanós , pronounced [ɔːkeanós] ),
4386-482: The Gilbert Islands and places them in the most advanced time zone on Earth: UTC+14 . 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 . Prior to its independence the country exported phosphate , but those mines are no longer viable. Fisheries and
4515-515: The Japanese invasion, and the subsequent American assault on the islet in 1943, remain there. After the battle the airstrip was renamed Hawkins Field . The airstrip no longer exists, but its effect can be seen in the stunted growth of palms along its length. Many bunkers remain, as well as the remains of military equipment. It was also the scene of a massacre by beheading of New Zealand military and civilian coastwatchers by Japanese forces prior to
4644-670: The North Sea or the Red Sea . There is no sharp distinction between seas and oceans, though generally seas are smaller, and are often partly (as marginal seas ) or wholly (as inland seas ) bordered by land. The contemporary concept of the World Ocean was coined in the early 20th century by the Russian oceanographer Yuly Shokalsky to refer to the continuous ocean that covers and encircles most of Earth. The global, interconnected body of salt water
4773-627: The Republic of Kiribati ( Gilbertese : Ribaberiki Kiribati ), is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean . Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, with more than half living on Tarawa atoll . The state comprises 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island , Banaba . Its total land area is 811 km (313 sq mi) dispersed over 3,441,810 km (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean . The islands' spread straddles
4902-472: The South Pacific Ocean , at 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W / 48.8767°S 123.3933°W / -48.8767; -123.3933 ( Point Nemo ) . This point is roughly 2,688 km (1,670 mi) from the nearest land. There are different customs to subdivide the ocean and are adjourned by smaller bodies of water such as, seas , gulfs , bays , bights , and straits . The ocean
5031-595: The Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCCC) to support the president of Kiribati's initiative to hold a consultative forum between vulnerable states and their partners. The conference strove to create an enabling environment for multi-party negotiations under the auspices of the UNFCCC. The conference was a successor event to the Climate Vulnerable Forum. The ultimate objective of TCCC was to reduce
5160-578: The Thames Barrier is designed to protect London from a storm surge, while the failure of the dykes and levees around New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina created a humanitarian crisis in the United States. Most of the ocean is blue in color, but in some places the ocean is blue-green, green, or even yellow to brown. Blue ocean color is a result of several factors. First, water preferentially absorbs red light, which means that blue light remains and
5289-514: The UNFCCC conferences of the parties (COP). Kiribati is a member of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), an intergovernmental organisation of low-lying coastal and small island countries. Established in 1990, the main purpose of the alliance is to consolidate the voices of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address global warming. AOSIS has been very active from its inception, putting forward
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5418-406: The coastline and structure of the world ocean. A global ocean has existed in one form or another on Earth for eons. Since its formation the ocean has taken many conditions and shapes with many past ocean divisions and potentially at times covering the whole globe. During colder climatic periods, more ice caps and glaciers form, and enough of the global water supply accumulates as ice to lessen
5547-444: The crown colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1916. The Northern Line Islands, including Christmas Island ( Kiritimati ), were added to the colony in 1919, and the Phoenix Islands were added in 1937 with the purpose of a Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme . On 12 July 1940, Pan Am Airways' American Clipper landed at Canton Island for the first time during a flight from Honolulu to Auckland . Sir Arthur Grimble
5676-463: The equator and the 180th meridian , making Kiribati the only country in the world located simultaneously in all four hemispheres: the Northern , Southern , Western , and Eastern hemispheres. The International Date Line goes around Kiribati and swings far to the east, almost reaching 150°W . This brings Kiribati's easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands south of Hawaii, into the same day as
5805-591: The ocean floor , they begin to slow down. This pulls the crests closer together and increases the waves' height , which is called wave shoaling . When the ratio of the wave's height to the water depth increases above a certain limit, it " breaks ", toppling over in a mass of foaming water. This rushes in a sheet up the beach before retreating into the ocean under the influence of gravity. Earthquakes , volcanic eruptions or other major geological disturbances can set off waves that can lead to tsunamis in coastal areas which can be very dangerous. The ocean's surface
5934-553: The phosphate rock of its soil (discovered in 1900). This discovery and the mining provided a significant amount of revenue, in the form of taxes and duties, to the WPHC. The conduct of William Telfer Campbell , the second resident commissioner of the Gilberts and Ellice Islands of 1896 to 1908, was criticised as to his legislative, judicial and administrative management (including allegations of forced labour exacted from islanders) and became
6063-702: The "unclaimed" central Pacific, leaving Nauru in the German sphere of influence, while Ocean Island and the future GEIC wound up in the British sphere of influence . In 1892, local Gilbertese authorities (an uea , a chief from the Northern Gilbert Group, and atun te boti or head of clan ) on each of the Gilbert Islands agreed to Captain Edward Davis commanding HMS Royalist of the Royal Navy declaring them part of
6192-555: The 1830s; they included beachcombers , castaways, traders, and missionaries. Dr Hiram Bingham II of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) arrived on Abaiang in 1857. The Roman Catholic faith was introduced on Nonouti around 1880 by 2 Gilbert islanders, Betero and Tiroi, who had become Christians in Tahiti. Father Joseph Leray, Father Edward Bontemps and Brother Conrad Weber, Roman Catholic Missionaries of
6321-491: The 1970s, the islet has become a major centre of economic activity in Kiribati, and a causeway to Bairiki was constructed in the early 1980s, leading to an increase in human contact with the island. Due to changing currents resulting from the construction of the causeway, Bikeman Island , northeast of Betio, has been submerged since the early 1990s. The island was the scene of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II . Relics of
6450-674: The British captain Thomas Gilbert . Gilbert and captain John Marshall sighted some of the islands in 1788, while crossing the "outer passage" route from Port Jackson to Canton . Both von Krusenstern's and Duperrey's maps, published in 1824, were written in French. In French, the Northern Islands were until then called îles Mulgrave and Byron Island was not part of them. In English,
6579-465: The British authorities, and later the Republic Government, resettled Gilbertese there under resettlement schemes. In 1982, the first elections since independence were held. A no-confidence vote provoked the 1983 new election . In the post-independence era, overcrowding has been an issue, at least in British and aid organisations' eyes. In 1988, an announcement was made that 4,700 residents of
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#17328477844726708-442: The Earth's biosphere . Oceanic evaporation , as a phase of the water cycle, is the source of most rainfall (about 90%), causing a global cloud cover of 67% and a consistent oceanic cloud cover of 72%. Ocean temperatures affect climate and wind patterns that affect life on land. One of the most dramatic forms of weather occurs over the oceans: tropical cyclones (also called "typhoons" and "hurricanes" depending upon where
6837-471: The I-Kiribati at this time were shark tooth-embedded wooden spears, knives, and swords, and garbs of armour fashioned from dense coconut fibre. They chiefly used these instead of the gunpowder and weapons of steel available at the time, because of the strong sentimental value of the equipment handed down through generations. Ranged weapons, such as bows, slings, and javelins, were seldom used; hand-to-hand combat
6966-540: The Islands, as many as 45 in a given year. Activities included assisting in the planning, design and construction of wells, libraries, and other infrastructure, and agricultural, environmental, and community health education. In 2006, volunteer placement was significantly scaled down due to the reduction of consistent air transportation to the outer islands; it was later ended because the associated ability to provide medical care to volunteers could not be assured. In July 2022, US Vice President Harris announced plans to build
7095-567: The Japanese military in late 1943 involved one of the bloodiest battles in US Marine Corps history. Marines landed in November 1943 and the Battle of Tarawa ensued. Ocean Island , the headquarters of the colony, was bombed, evacuated and occupied by Japan in 1942 and not freed until 1945, after the massacre of all but one of the Gilbertese on the island by the Japanese forces. Funafuti hosted then
7224-546: The Line Islands, including Howland , Jarvis , and Baker islands, thus causing a territorial dispute. That was eventually resolved and they finally became part of Kiribati under the Treaty of Tarawa . After the attack on Pearl Harbor , during World War II , Butaritari and Tarawa, and others of the Northern Gilbert group, were occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1943. Betio became an airfield and supply base. The expulsion of
7353-452: The Moon are 20x stronger than the Moon's tidal forces on the Earth.) The primary effect of lunar tidal forces is to bulge Earth matter towards the near and far sides of the Earth, relative to the moon. The "perpendicular" sides, from which the Moon appears in line with the local horizon, experience "tidal troughs". Since it takes nearly 25 hours for the Earth to rotate under the Moon (accounting for
7482-403: The Moon's 28 day orbit around Earth), tides thus cycle over a course of 12.5 hours. However, the rocky continents pose obstacles for the tidal bulges, so the timing of tidal maxima may not actually align with the Moon in most localities on Earth, as the oceans are forced to "dodge" the continents. Timing and magnitude of tides vary widely across the Earth as a result of the continents. Thus, knowing
7611-468: The Moon's gravity, oceanic tides are also substantially modulated by the Sun's tidal forces, by the rotation of the Earth, and by the shape of the rocky continents blocking oceanic water flow. (Tidal forces vary more with distance than the "base" force of gravity: the Moon's tidal forces on Earth are more than double the Sun's, despite the latter's much stronger gravitational force on Earth. Earth's tidal forces upon
7740-400: The Moon's position does not allow a local to predict tide timings, instead requiring precomputed tide tables which account for the continents and the Sun, among others. During each tidal cycle, at any given place the tidal waters rise to maximum height, high tide, before ebbing away again to the minimum level, low tide. As the water recedes, it gradually reveals the foreshore , also known as
7869-643: The Okeanos is represented with a dragon-tail on some early Greek vases. Scientists believe that a sizable quantity of water would have been in the material that formed Earth. Water molecules would have escaped Earth's gravity more easily when it was less massive during its formation. This is called atmospheric escape . During planetary formation , Earth possibly had magma oceans . Subsequently, outgassing , volcanic activity and meteorite impacts , produced an early atmosphere of carbon dioxide , nitrogen and water vapor , according to current theories. The gases and
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#17328477844727998-546: The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons . On 20 September 2019, the government of Kiribati restored its diplomatic relationship with the People's Republic of China and simultaneously stopped its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. China offered a 737 aircraft and ferries to Kiribati for the decision, according to Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu . From 1973 until 2008, a total of almost 500 US Peace Corps volunteers were based on
8127-583: The Sacred Heart arrived on Nonouti in 1888. The Protestant missionaries of the London Missionary Society (LMS) were also active in the southern Gilberts. On 15 October 1870, Rev. Samuel James Whitmee of the LMS arrived at Arorae , and later that month he visited Tamana , Onotoa and Beru . In August 1872, George Pratt of the LMS visited the islands. In 1886, an Anglo-German agreement partitioned
8256-516: The South Seas , which delved into the high chief's character and method of rule during Stevenson's stay in Abemama. The 90th anniversary of his arrival in the Gilbert Islands was chosen to celebrate the independence of Kiribati on 12 July 1979. Chance visits by European ships occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries, while those ships attempted circumnavigations of the world, or sought sailing routes from
8385-456: The UK's Sexual Offences Act 1957. Female homosexuality is legal, but lesbians may face violence and discrimination. However, employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited. Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth . In English , the term ocean also refers to any of the large bodies of water into which the world ocean
8514-591: The US landings. The massacre was in retaliation to an American air raid. Before the massacre, seamen and civil servants who were housed on the island escaped in a small, open launch, towing a lifeboat. They sailed to Nonouti, in the Southern Gilberts, where they were met by the Degei , commanded by Captain G. J. (Jack) Webster in which they returned from Nonouti to Fiji. News of the massacre was covered up by British authorities at
8643-706: The World Ocean, such as the Caspian Sea . The deepest region of the ocean is at the Mariana Trench , located in the Pacific Ocean near the Northern Mariana Islands . The maximum depth has been estimated to be 10,971 meters (35,994 ft). The British naval vessel Challenger II surveyed the trench in 1951 and named the deepest part of the trench the " Challenger Deep ". In 1960, the Trieste successfully reached
8772-477: The amount of solar radiation reaching the ocean surface. In the tropics, surface temperatures can rise to over 30 °C (86 °F). Near the poles where sea ice forms, the temperature in equilibrium is about −2 °C (28 °F). In all parts of the ocean, deep ocean temperatures range between −2 °C (28 °F) and 5 °C (41 °F). Constant circulation of water in the ocean creates ocean currents . Those currents are caused by forces operating on
8901-421: The amounts in other parts of the water cycle. The reverse is true during warm periods. During the last ice age, glaciers covered almost one-third of Earth's land mass with the result being that the oceans were about 122 m (400 ft) lower than today. During the last global "warm spell," about 125,000 years ago, the seas were about 5.5 m (18 ft) higher than they are now. About three million years ago
9030-670: The archipelago, particularly the southern part, was often referred to as the Kingsmills in the 19th century, although the name Gilbert Islands was used increasingly, including in the Western Pacific Order in Council of 1877 and in the Pacific Order of 1893. The name Gilbert , already in the name of the British protectorate since 1892, was incorporated into the name of the entire Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (GEIC) from 1916 and
9159-479: The atmosphere are thought to have accumulated over millions of years. After Earth's surface had significantly cooled, the water vapor over time would have condensed, forming Earth's first oceans. The early oceans might have been significantly hotter than today and appeared green due to high iron content. Geological evidence helps constrain the time frame for liquid water existing on Earth. A sample of pillow basalt (a type of rock formed during an underwater eruption)
9288-560: The attorney general, who served as an ex officio member from 1979 to 2016. Legislators serve for a four-year term. The constitutional provisions governing administration of justice are similar to those in other former British colonies in that the judiciary is free from governmental interference. The judicial branch is made up of the High Court (in Betio) and the Court of Appeal. The president appoints
9417-407: The bottom of the trench, manned by a crew of two men. Oceanographers classify the ocean into vertical and horizontal zones based on physical and biological conditions. The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be divided into further regions categorized by light abundance and by depth. The ocean zones can be grouped by light penetration into (from top to bottom):
9546-582: The bulk of the country's foreign aid. Taiwan and Japan also have specified-period licences to fish in Kiribati's waters. There are three resident diplomatic missions headquartered in South Tarawa : the Embassies of the Republic of China (Taiwan) until 2019, replaced by People's Republic of China in 2020 and the High Commissions of Australia and New Zealand . Since 2022, there have been talks of opening
9675-590: The claim in a 2014 decision . On further appeal, the New Zealand Supreme Court confirmed the earlier adverse rulings against the application for refugee status, but rejected the proposition "that environmental degradation resulting from climate change or other natural disasters could never create a pathway into the Refugee Convention or protected person jurisdiction". In 2017, Kiribati signed the UN treaty on
9804-635: The colony was transferred from Fiji to the new capital of Honiara , to the British Solomon Islands , with the Gilberts' Resident Commissioner still headquartered in Tarawa. Further military operations in the colony occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s when Christmas Island was used by the United States and United Kingdom for nuclear weapons testing including hydrogen bombs . Institutions of internal self-rule were established on Tarawa from about 1967. The Ellice Islands asked for separation from
9933-457: The country was written down in 1952 by Ernest Sabatier in his comprehensive Dictionnaire gilbertin–français . The indigenous name often suggested for the Gilbert Islands proper is Tungaru (see e.g., Ernest Sabatier , 1952–1953, or Arthur Grimble , 1989 ). The rendition Kiribati for Gilberts was chosen as the official name of the new independent state by the chief minister, Sir Ieremia Tabai and his cabinet , on such grounds that it
10062-501: The elder of the Titans in classical Greek mythology . Oceanus was believed by the ancient Greeks and Romans to be the divine personification of an enormous river encircling the world. The concept of Ōkeanós has an Indo-European connection. Greek Ōkeanós has been compared to the Vedic epithet ā-śáyāna-, predicated of the dragon Vṛtra-, who captured the cows/rivers. Related to this notion,
10191-493: The environment. A Japanese-built downrange tracking station operates on Kiritimati and an abandoned airfield on the island was designated as the landing strip for a proposed reusable unmanned space shuttle called HOPE-X . HOPE-X, however, was eventually cancelled by Japan in 2003. As one of the world's most vulnerable nations to the effects of global warming , Kiribati has been an active participant in international diplomatic efforts relating to climate change, most importantly
10320-742: The export of copra drive much of the economy. Kiribati is one of the least developed countries in the world and is highly dependent on international aid for its economy. Kiribati is a member of the Pacific Community , Commonwealth of Nations , the International Monetary Fund , the World Bank , and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States , and became a full member of the United Nations in 1999. As an island nation,
10449-492: The first commercial international flight in two years included 36 passengers who tested positive. In 2024, 5,085 Coronavirus Cases were reported which causes 24 deaths and 2,703 were recovered. On 29 January 2023, Kiribati confirmed its intention to rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum , ending a bitter two-year leadership split. The Constitution of Kiribati , promulgated 12 July 1979, provides for free and open elections in
10578-693: The first draft text in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations as early as 1994. In 2009, President Tong attended the Climate Vulnerable Forum ( V11 ) in the Maldives , with 10 other countries that are vulnerable to climate change , and signed the Bandos Island declaration on 10 November 2009, pledging to show moral leadership and commence greening their economies by voluntarily committing to achieving carbon neutrality . In November 2010, Kiribati hosted
10707-412: The formation of unusually high rogue waves . Most waves are less than 3 m (10 ft) high and it is not unusual for strong storms to double or triple that height. Rogue waves, however, have been documented at heights above 25 meters (82 ft). The top of a wave is known as the crest, the lowest point between waves is the trough and the distance between the crests is the wavelength. The wave
10836-569: The globe completely within the British Empire. The location of Fanning Island, one of the closest formations to Hawaii, led to its annexation by the British Empire in 1888. Nearby candidates including Palmyra Island were not favoured due to the lack of adequate landing sites. The United States eventually incorporated the Northern Line Islands into its territories, and did the same with the Phoenix Islands , which lie between Gilberts and
10965-554: The government of Kiribati purchased the 2,200-hectare Natoavatu Estate on the second largest island of Fiji, Vanua Levu . At the time it was widely reported that the government planned to evacuate the entire population of Kiribati to Fiji. In April 2013, President Tong began urging citizens to evacuate the islands and migrate elsewhere. In May 2014, the Office of the President confirmed the purchase of some 5,460 acres of land on Vanua Levu at
11094-651: The government to shut down newspaper publishers. The legislation followed the launching of Kiribati's first successful non-government-run newspaper. President Tito was re-elected in 2003 but was removed from office in March 2003 by a no-confidence vote and replaced by a Council of State. Anote Tong of the opposition party Boutokaan Te Koaua was elected to succeed Tito in July 2003. He was re-elected in 2007 and in 2011. In June 2008, Kiribati officials asked Australia and New Zealand to accept Kiribati citizens as permanent refugees. Kiribati
11223-421: The interface between water and air is called swell – a term used in sailing , surfing and navigation . These motions profoundly affect ships on the surface of the ocean and the well-being of people on those ships who might suffer from sea sickness . Wind blowing over the surface of a body of water forms waves that are perpendicular to the direction of the wind. The friction between air and water caused by
11352-482: The intertidal zone. The difference in height between the high tide and low tide is known as the tidal range or tidal amplitude. When the sun and moon are aligned (full moon or new moon), the combined effect results in the higher "spring tides", while the sun and moon misaligning (half moons) result in lesser tidal ranges. In the open ocean tidal ranges are less than 1 meter, but in coastal areas these tidal ranges increase to more than 10 meters in some areas. Some of
11481-453: The islands are vulnerable to climate change and tsunamis. Addressing climate change has been a central part of its international policy, as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States . The name is pronounced / ˈ k ɪr ɪ b æ s / KIRR -i-bass , as -ti in the Gilbertese language represents an [ s ] sound. Similarly, the name of its people, the I-Kiribati,
11610-625: The larger Fiji islands, 2,000 km away. A move described by Tong as an "absolute necessity" should the country's territory be completely submerged under water. In 2013, attention was drawn to a claim of a Kiribati man of being a "climate change refugee" under the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1951). However, this claim was determined by the New Zealand High Court to be untenable. The New Zealand Court of Appeal also rejected
11739-710: The largest tidal ranges in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy and Ungava Bay in Canada, reaching up to 16 meters. Other locations with record high tidal ranges include the Bristol Channel between England and Wales, Cook Inlet in Alaska, and the Río Gallegos in Argentina. Tides are not to be confused with storm surges , which can occur when high winds pile water up against the coast in
11868-469: The main island group would be resettled onto less populated islands. In September 1994, Teburoro Tito from the opposition was elected president. In 1995, Kiribati unilaterally moved the International Date Line far to the east to encompass the Line Islands group, so that the country would no longer be divided by the date line. The move, which fulfilled one of President Tito's campaign promises,
11997-466: The majority of Earth's surface. It includes the Pacific , Atlantic , Indian , Southern/Antarctic , and Arctic oceans. As a general term, "the ocean" and "the sea" are often interchangeable. Strictly speaking, a "sea" is a body of water (generally a division of the world ocean) partly or fully enclosed by land. The word "sea" can also be used for many specific, much smaller bodies of seawater, such as
12126-399: The northern islands, primarily under chiefly rule ( uea ), and the central and southern islands, primarily under the rule of their council of elders ( unimwaane ). Tabiteuea could be an exception as the sole island that is known as maintaining a traditional egalitarian society. The name Tabiteuea stems from the root phrase Tabu-te-Uea , meaning "chiefs are forbidden". Civil war soon became
12255-536: The number and intensity of fault lines between parties to the COP process, explore elements of agreement between the parties and thereby to support Kiribati's and other parties' contribution to COP16 held in Cancun , Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010. In 2013, President Tong spoke of climate-change induced sea level rise as "inevitable". "For our people to survive, then they will have to migrate. Either we can wait for
12384-408: The ocean faces many environmental threats, such as marine pollution , overfishing , and the effects of climate change . Those effects include ocean warming , ocean acidification and sea level rise . The continental shelf and coastal waters are most affected by human activity. The terms "the ocean" or "the sea" used without specification refer to the interconnected body of salt water covering
12513-508: The ocean, on land and air. All these processes and components together make up ocean surface ecosystems . Tides are the regular rise and fall in water level experienced by oceans, primarily driven by the Moon 's gravitational tidal forces upon the Earth. Tidal forces affect all matter on Earth, but only fluids like the ocean demonstrate the effects on human timescales. (For example, tidal forces acting on rock may produce tidal locking between two planetary bodies.) Though primarily driven by
12642-469: The ocean. If the wind dies down, the wave formation is reduced, but already-formed waves continue to travel in their original direction until they meet land. The size of the waves depends on the fetch , the distance that the wind has blown over the water and the strength and duration of that wind. When waves meet others coming from different directions, interference between the two can produce broken, irregular seas. Constructive interference can lead to
12771-419: The oceans absorb CO 2 from the atmosphere , a higher concentration leads to ocean acidification (a drop in pH value ). The ocean provides many benefits to humans such as ecosystem services , access to seafood and other marine resources , and a means of transport . The ocean is known to be the habitat of over 230,000 species , but may hold considerably more – perhaps over two million species. Yet,
12900-425: The oceans could have been up to 50 m (165 ft) higher. The entire ocean, containing 97% of Earth's water, spans 70.8% of Earth 's surface, making it Earth's global ocean or world ocean . This makes Earth, along with its vibrant hydrosphere a "water world" or " ocean world ", particularly in Earth's early history when the ocean is thought to have possibly covered Earth completely. The ocean's shape
13029-434: The oceans have been mapped. The zone where land meets sea is known as the coast , and the part between the lowest spring tides and the upper limit reached by splashing waves is the shore . A beach is the accumulation of sand or shingle on the shore. A headland is a point of land jutting out into the sea and a larger promontory is known as a cape . The indentation of a coastline, especially between two headlands,
13158-533: The oceans may have always been on the Earth since the beginning of the planet's formation. In this model, atmospheric greenhouse gases kept the oceans from freezing when the newly forming Sun had only 70% of its current luminosity . The origin of Earth's oceans is unknown. Oceans are thought to have formed in the Hadean eon and may have been the cause for the emergence of life . Plate tectonics , post-glacial rebound , and sea level rise continually change
13287-445: The oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. Light can only penetrate a few hundred more meters; the rest of the deeper ocean is cold and dark (these zones are called mesopelagic and aphotic zones). The continental shelf is where the ocean meets dry land. It is more shallow, with a depth of a few hundred meters or less. Human activity often has negative impacts on marine life within the continental shelf. Ocean temperatures depend on
13416-451: The photic zone, the mesopelagic zone and the aphotic deep ocean zone: The pelagic part of the aphotic zone can be further divided into vertical regions according to depth and temperature: Distinct boundaries between ocean surface waters and deep waters can be drawn based on the properties of the water. These boundaries are called thermoclines (temperature), haloclines (salinity), chemoclines (chemistry), and pycnoclines (density). If
13545-418: The power of a storm wave impacting on the foot of a cliff has a shattering effect as air in cracks and crevices is compressed and then expands rapidly with release of pressure. At the same time, sand and pebbles have an erosive effect as they are thrown against the rocks. This tends to undercut the cliff, and normal weathering processes such as the action of frost follows, causing further destruction. Gradually,
13674-427: The presiding judges. Local government is through island councils with elected members. Local affairs are handled in a manner similar to town meetings in colonial America. Island councils make their own estimates of revenue and expenditure and generally are free from central government controls. There are a total of 21 inhabited islands in Kiribati. Each inhabited island has its own council. Since independence, Kiribati
13803-515: The prison riot was the brother of one of the coastwatchers executed on Betio. The partly submerged hulk of the Saidu Maru , a Japanese merchant ship often mistaken for the Nimanoa , would later be used as a machine gun post by the Japanese against the US forces that re-took Tarawa. The RCS Nimanoa was a wooden-hulled ketch, whereas Saidu Maru was a steel-hulled vessel, part of which is still visible on
13932-518: The provisional headquarters of the colony from 1942 to 1946, when Tarawa returned to host the headquarters, replacing Ocean Island. At the end of 1945, most of the remaining inhabitants of Banaba, repatriated from Kosrae , Nauru and Tarawa, were relocated to Rabi Island , a land of Fiji that the British government had acquired in 1942 for this purpose. On 1 January 1953, the British Western Pacific High Commissioner of
14061-564: The reef off Red Beach. Unexploded artillery shells, mortar rounds, anti-aircraft shells and live machine gun bullets left over from the Second World War are littered throughout the island and surrounding reef, as well as the remains of several hundred U.S. and Japanese soldiers. The remains of 30 U.S. soldiers and Marines were discovered in March 2019. Kiribati Kiribati ( / ˈ k ɪr ɪ b æ s / KIRR -i-bass , Gilbertese: [kiɾibas] ), officially
14190-576: The rest of the colony in 1974 and granted their own internal self-rule institutions. The separation entered into force on 1 January 1976. In 1978, the Ellice Islands became the independent state of Tuvalu . The Gilbert Islands gained independence as the Republic of Kiribati on 12 July 1979. Then, in September, the United States relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Islands, in
14319-455: The seabed between adjoining plates to form mid-oceanic ridges and here convection currents within the mantle tend to drive the two plates apart. Parallel to these ridges and nearer the coasts, one oceanic plate may slide beneath another oceanic plate in a process known as subduction . Deep trenches are formed here and the process is accompanied by friction as the plates grind together. The movement proceeds in jerks which cause earthquakes, heat
14448-407: The seabed causing deltas to form in estuaries. All these materials move back and forth under the influence of waves, tides and currents. Dredging removes material and deepens channels but may have unexpected effects elsewhere on the coastline. Governments make efforts to prevent flooding of the land by the building of breakwaters , seawalls , dykes and levees and other sea defences. For instance,
14577-401: The shore at the rate of six to eight per minute and these are known as constructive waves as they tend to move material up the beach and have little erosive effect. Storm waves arrive on shore in rapid succession and are known as destructive waves as the swash moves beach material seawards. Under their influence, the sand and shingle on the beach is ground together and abraded. Around high tide,
14706-572: The south to north Pacific Ocean. A passing trade, whaling the On-The-Line grounds, and labour ships associated with the coercive labour recruitment practices, known as blackbirding . This recruitment of Kanaka workers in large numbers during the 19th century, had social, economic, political, religious and cultural consequences. More than 9,000 workers were sent abroad from 1845 to 1895, most of them not returning. The passing trade gave rise to European, Indian, Chinese, Samoan, and other residents from
14835-482: The subject of the 1909 report by Arthur Mahaffy . In 1913, an anonymous correspondent to The New Age newspaper described the maladministration of W. Telfer Campbell and challenged the impartiality of Arthur Mahaffy, because he was a former colonial official in the Gilberts. The anonymous correspondent also criticised the operations of the Pacific Phosphate Company on Ocean Island. The islands became
14964-456: The system forms). As the world's ocean is the principal component of Earth's hydrosphere , it is integral to life on Earth, forms part of the carbon cycle and water cycle , and – as a huge heat reservoir – influences climate and weather patterns. The motions of the ocean surface, known as undulations or wind waves , are the partial and alternate rising and falling of the ocean surface. The series of mechanical waves that propagate along
15093-406: The time to the extent that New Zealand and Fijian governments were prevented from informing the families of the men killed of their deaths. However, persistent rumours eventually reached the families, and it is believed that the shooting of Japanese prisoners held in a New Zealand POW camp was done in retaliation for this massacre. The New Zealand camp guard who fired on the Japanese prisoners during
15222-428: The time when we have to move people en masse or we can prepare them—beginning from now ..." In New York in 2014, per The New Yorker , President Tong told The New York Times that "according to the projections, within this century, the water will be higher than the highest point in our lands". In 2014, President Tong finalised the purchase of a 20 km (7.7 sq mi) stretch of land on Vanua Levu , one of
15351-434: The very clearest ocean water, and is similar to blue light scattering in the sky . Ocean water represents the largest body of water within the global water cycle (oceans contain 97% of Earth's water ). Evaporation from the ocean moves water into the atmosphere to later rain back down onto land and the ocean. Oceans have a significant effect on the biosphere . The ocean as a whole is thought to cover approximately 90% of
15480-468: The water, such as temperature and salinity differences, atmospheric circulation (wind), and the Coriolis effect . Tides create tidal currents, while wind and waves cause surface currents. The Gulf Stream , Kuroshio Current , Agulhas Current and Antarctic Circumpolar Current are all major ocean currents. Such currents transport massive amounts of water, gases, pollutants and heat to different parts of
15609-583: The world's largest marine protected area to commercial fishing. The 2022 Kiribati constitutional crisis started with the suspension of all 5 major Justices of the judiciary of Kiribati . In 2020, Kiribati’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic , consistent with most of the COVID-19 responses of Oceania island nations , was to impose strict limits on tourism and commercial travel. Kiribati reported that it remained essentially COVID-free (two cases) until January 2022 when
15738-476: The world, and from the surface into the deep ocean. All this has impacts on the global climate system . Ocean water contains dissolved gases, including oxygen , carbon dioxide and nitrogen . An exchange of these gases occurs at the ocean's surface. The solubility of these gases depends on the temperature and salinity of the water. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is rising due to CO 2 emissions , mainly from fossil fuel combustion. As
15867-595: Was a cadet administrative officer based at Tarawa (1913–1919) and became Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony in 1926. In 1902, the Pacific Cable Board laid the first trans-Pacific telegraph cable from Bamfield , British Columbia, to Fanning Island (Tabuaeran) in the Line Islands, and from Fiji to Fanning Island, thus completing the All Red Line , a series of telegraph lines circumnavigating
15996-509: Was a prominent skill still practised today, though seldom mentioned because of various taboos associated with it, secrecy being the primary one. Abemama 's High Chief Tembinok' was the last of the dozens of expansionist chiefs of Gilbert Islands of this period, despite Abemama historically conforming to the traditional southern islands' governance of their respective unimwaane . He was immortalised in Robert Louis Stevenson 's book In
16125-467: Was intended to allow businesses across the expansive territory to keep the same business week. This also enabled Kiribati to become the first country to see the dawn of the third millennium , an event of significance for tourism. Tito was re-elected in 1998. In 1999, Kiribati became a full member of the United Nations, 20 years after independence. In 2002, Kiribati passed a controversial law that enabled
16254-518: Was modern, and to comprehend the inclusion of outer islands (e.g., the Phoenix Group and Line Islands), which were not considered part of the Tungaru (or Gilberts) chain. The area now called Kiribati has been inhabited by Austronesian peoples speaking the same Oceanic language , from north to south, including the southernmost Nui , since sometime between 3000 BCE and 1300 CE. The area
16383-419: Was not completely isolated; later, voyagers from Samoa , Tonga , and Fiji introduced some Polynesian and Melanesian cultural aspects, respectively. Intermarriage and intense navigation between the islands tended to blur cultural differences and resulted in a significant degree of cultural homogenization. Local oral historians chiefly in the form of lore keepers suggest that the area was first inhabited by
16512-750: Was recovered from the Isua Greenstone Belt and provides evidence that water existed on Earth 3.8 billion years ago. In the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt , Quebec , Canada, rocks dated at 3.8 billion years old by one study and 4.28 billion years old by another show evidence of the presence of water at these ages. If oceans existed earlier than this, any geological evidence either has yet to be discovered, or has since been destroyed by geological processes like crustal recycling . However, in August 2020, researchers reported that sufficient water to fill
16641-415: Was retained after the Ellice Islands became the separate country of Tuvalu in 1976. The spelling of Gilberts in the Gilbertese language as Kiribati may be found in books in Gilbertese prepared by missionaries , but with the meaning of Gilbertese ( demonym and language) (see e.g., Hawaiian Board of Missionaries, 1895). The first mention as a dictionary entry of the word Kiribati as the native name of
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