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Kiribati |
With its 99,482 people Kiribati is the 192nd largest country in the world by population. It is the 185th largest country by area with 811 square kilometers. The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
Check out the recommended reading list below for great sources of information on Kiribati.
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific
J. Maarten Troost
21st Century Complete Guide to Kiribati and Christmas Island (Kiritimati), Tarawa - Encyclopedic Coverage, Country Profile, History, DOD, State Dept., White House, CIA Factbook (Two CD-ROM Set)
U.S. Government
Micronesia's Yap Islands, Palau & Kiribati - Another World
Thomas Booth
Oceania
André Vltchek
The Kiribati Travel Journal
Younghusband World Travel Journals
Kiribati Business Intelligence Report
Ibp Usa
Kiribati Country Study Guide
Ibp Usa
South Pacific (Multi Country Travel Guide)
Rowan Mckinnon
