Te Mauri, Te Raoi ao Te Tabomoa (Gilbertese) ("Health, Peace and Prosperity") | ||||||
| Anthem | "Teirake Kaini Kiribati" | |||||
| Capital (and largest city) |
Tarawa | |||||
| Language | English, Gilbertese | |||||
| Religion | Protestantism, traditional religions | |||||
| Demonym | Gilbertese | |||||
| Established | 12 January 1916 | |||||
The Gilbert Islands (Gilbertese: Kiribati), informally just called Gilberts, are an insular colony of Great Britain, in the Micronesia region of Oceania, not far from another British archipelago, the Ellice Islands, which are located directly to the southeast. The colony comprises 33 atolls and reef islands, strewn across 3.5 million square kilometers straddling the equator.
The islands were acquired by Britain at the same time other European powers were extending their sphere of influence over the Pacific Ocean, between the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. Most of the population lives on Tarawa atoll, the island where the omonimous capital stands, which is actually a number of small islets connected by bridges and causeways. The islands' economy is modest, and depends largely on fishing and tourism. English is the official language, and there is a growing British community in the archipelago, but most of the population speaks Gilbertese, a Polynesian language.