ˌkɪrɪˈbɑːss
The Gilbert Islands were became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915. In 1941 they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War. In 1971 they were granted self rule by the UK, becoming officially independent from the United Kingdom in 1979 naming itself The Republic of Kiribati formerly known as Tungaru. It is located in the central Pacific Ocean of Oceania and it is the only country that sits on all four hemispheres the North, South, East and West. It has thirty-two atolls and one raised coral island named Banaba, these atolls are divided into three islands: Line Islands, Phoenix Islands and the Gilbert Islands. Kiribati's capital is Tarawa which is in between Hawaii and Australia. ("CIA World Fact Book," n.d) The population of Kiribati consists of 110,000 people, the majority of them being from Christian religion. About ninety percent of them live on the Gilbert Islands and twenty one out of the thirty-three islands are inhabited. Kiribati is a member of the Commonwealth Nations as well as others like the World Bank, and the IMF since 1999.
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Climate Change: Current Issue
Kiribati has a hot humid weather all year long. Rainfall in Kiribati is affected by the movement of the South Pacific Convergence Zone and the Intertropical Convergence Zone. ("Climate Change Republic of Kiribati", 2011) The current issue in Kiribati is that it will most likely experience a rise in sea level due to global warming in the coming years. This will destroy their homes and lands soon causing them to wash away. Also, ocean acidification has been increasing and it will continue to increase becoming a threat to coral reef ecosystems.
Pollution is also a big problem since they don't have proper disposal of solid waste. ("Climate Change Republic of Kiribati", 2011) |