History of Kiribati

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History of Kiribati The first settlers of Kiribati probably came from Southeast Asia and Samoa between six hundred and two thousand years ago. Europeans first visited in 1537, when Kiritimati Island was sighted by Spanish explorers. Commercial activity on the islands began in the early 19th century. The northern Gilberts were a favorite whaling ground, and deserting crews began to settle there around 1830. Hiram Bingham, a Protestant who established a mission on Abaiang in 1857, helped the Gilbertese develop a written form of their language. During the latter 1800s, thousands of Gilbertese men were recruited to work overseas. They left because of drought and population problems, but they often found their employment conditions harsh. Many later returned to the islands. In 1886, Britain and Germany signed the Treaty of the Unclaimed Pacific, each taking responsibility for Pacific islands that no other imperial power had claimed. Britain took the Gilbert and Ellice islands. At the same time, German and U.S. labor companies were competing for labor recruits. German traders were worried the United States would colonize the islands and Germany would lose out on trade. They asked their government to annex the islands, but it refused because of the1886 treaty. U.S. traders and Nabureimoa, king of Butaritari, asked the United States to annex the islands. Although Britain did not want another colony, it did not want to lose the islands to the United States, so in 1892 it made the Gilbert and Ellice islands a protectorate. In 1916, both island groups were joined to form the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. The Phoenix and Line islands, which were never permanently inhabited, became part of the territory in the decades that followed. During World War II, Japan occupied the area until U.S. troops invaded in November1943’s Battle of Tarawa. U.S. forces secured the island after three days of intense fighting with heavy casualties on both sides. After the war, administration returned to the British. In 1974, the Ellice Islands held a referendum for independence and subsequently became the nation of Tuvalu. In 1977, internal self-government was established in the Gilberts, and the islands became the independent Republic of Kiribati on 12July 1979. The country remains part of the British Commonwealth. Kiribati was admitted to the United Nations in September1999. It also serves as a member of the Pacific’s regional organization, the 16-nation Pacific Islands Forum. References: “Republic of Kiribati.” CultureGrams World Edition. 2008. Page 1 of 1 .

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