Kiribati is a small island country in the central Pacific Ocean, in the region of Micronesia in Oceania, roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia. It is made up of scattered atolls and islands that straddle the Equator and the International Date Line, giving it territory in all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern, and western).

Basic location

  • Kiribati lies in the central Pacific Ocean, near the Equator and close to the International Date Line.
  • It is about midway between Hawaii and Australia, in the wider region of Micronesia in Oceania.

What makes its position unique

  • The country’s islands are spread over a huge area of ocean, comparable in size to the contiguous United States, even though the land area is very small (around 811 square kilometers).
  • Because its islands cross both the Equator and the 180° line of longitude, Kiribati is the only island nation located in all four hemispheres of the Earth.

Main island groups

  • Kiribati consists of three main island groups: the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and the Line Islands, plus the raised coral island of Banaba.
  • The capital, South Tarawa, is in the Gilbert Islands group and is the most populous part of the country.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.