When did the Gilbert Islands become Kiribati?

July 12, 1979
The United States recognized the Republic of Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert Islands) on September 20, 1979, when the two nations signed a Treaty of Friendship. The Gilbert Islands, previously a British colony, had gained independence on July 12, 1979, under the name of Kiribati.

Who owns Kiribati island?

Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) is an independent republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, located in the central Pacific Ocean, about 4,000 km (about 2,500 mi) southwest of Hawaii. It is part of the division of the Pacific islands that is known as Micronesia.

Is Kiribati and Kiribati the same?

Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island) is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. Kiritimati comprises over 70\% of the total land area of Kiribati, a country encompassing 33 Pacific atolls and islands.

What was Vanuatu previously known as?

Formerly the jointly administered Anglo-French condominium of the New Hebrides, Vanuatu achieved independence in 1980. The name Vanuatu means “Our Land Forever” in many of the locally used Melanesian languages.

How did Kiribati get its name?

The name Kiribati was adopted in 1979 at independence. It was named îles Gilbert (French for Gilbert Islands) in about 1820 by Russian admiral Adam von Krusenstern and French captain Louis Duperrey, after the British captain Thomas Gilbert.

How many islands make up Kiribati?

33 islands
Kiribati is an island country in the central Pacific Ocean, made up of 33 islands. Only 20 of these are inhabited. Although the land area is small, the islands are scattered widely. Most of the islands are very low-lying atolls (ring-shaped coral reefs).

What did Kiribati used to be called?

Gilbert
Kiribati and Tuvalu were formerly joined as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. The name Kiribati is the local rendition of Gilberts in the Gilbertese, or I-Kiribati, language, which has 13 sounds; ti is pronounced /s/ or like the word see—thus Kiribati, pronounced “Ki-ri-bas.”

Why is Niue called Savage island?

The first Europeans to sight Niue sailed under Captain James Cook in 1774. Cook made three attempts to land, but the inhabitants refused to grant permission to do so. He named the island “Savage Island” because, as legend has it, the natives who “greeted” him were painted in what appeared to be blood.

What is the largest coral island in the world?

Kiritimati Atoll, also called Christmas Atoll, coral island in the Northern Line Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. It is the largest island of purely coral formation in the world, having a circumference of about 100 miles (160 km).

Who discovered the first island in Vanuatu?

Pedro Fernández de Quirós
The first settlers to arrive in Vanuatu are believed to have arrived by canoe approximately 3,500 years ago from New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. In 1606, the Portuguese explorer, Pedro Fernández de Quirós, discovered the island of Espiritu Santo, which he thought was a great southern continent.

What is the New Hebrides called now?

New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (French: Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, lit. “Condominium of the New Hebrides”) and named for the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu.

Who Colonised Nauru?

German protectorate The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and incorporated into Germany’s New Guinea Protectorate. On 1 October 1888, the German gunboat SMS Eber landed 36 men on Nauru.