Gilbert Islands

The Gilbert Islands (Gilbertese: Tungaru; formerly Kingsmill Islands) are a chain of 16 atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of the Republic of Kiribati ("Kiribati" is the rendition of "Gilberts" in Gilbertese) and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population. The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands are arranged in an approximate north-to-south line. In a g... more

The Gilbert Islands (Gilbertese: Tungaru; formerly Kingsmill Islands) are a chain of 16 atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of the Republic of Kiribati ("Kiribati" is the rendition of "Gilberts" in Gilbertese) and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population. The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands are arranged in an approximate north-to-south line. In a geographical sense, the equator serves as dividing line between the northern Gilbert Islands and the southern Gilbert Islands. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) considers the Gilberts wholly within the South Pacific Ocean, however. Another method of grouping the Gilbert Islands is by former administrative districts, the Northern, Central, and Southern Gilberts (Tarawa once was a separate district as well). A group of the southern Gilberts is called the Kingsmill Group, a name that in the 19th century applied to all of the... less