Kiribati

Currency		Australian dollar

Kiribati (pronounced "KiriBASS") is a country in the Pacific Ocean. It has 33 atolls, groups of tiny islands. The country is near the equator. Its capital is South Tarawa, on the Tarawa atoll.

Kiribati used to be called the Gilbert Islands. In 1892, the Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate with the Ellice Islands (nowadays known as Tuvalu), together called Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Kiribati became an independent republic in 1979.

Kiribati is one of the poorest nations in the Pacific Ocean. It has few natural resources. Tourism is an important industry.

Kiribati signed a "Treaty of Friendship and Territorial Sovereignty" (also called the "Treaty of Tarawa") with the United States in 1979. The USA gave up its claims to the islands of Canton, Enderbury, Hull, Birnie, Gardner, Phoenix, Sydney, McKean, Christmas, Caroline, Starbuck, Malden, Flint, and Vostok in that treaty. [1]

The official languages of Kiribati are English and Gilbertese.