In the continent of Oceania, halfway between Australia and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, lies a group of 32 islands and a coral atoll straddling the equator. This country is named The Republic of Kiribati (pronounced kee-ree-bahs), or simply Kiribati. Kiribati is a unique country with intriguing customs and people. It comes from a European and Asian background but has developed a culture of its own with unique government, customs, history, religion, and more. Sadly, this country is one natural disaster away from losing everything and disappearing under the waves.
Though, this country may seem small and unimportant to bigger countries, to the I-Kiribati (the residents of the country), Kiribati is their home and very important. About 100 thousand people are living on the islands of Kiribati as of July 2013 (CIA). About 40 thousand of these people live in the capitol city of Tarawa as of 2012 (Kiribati Facts). Widely spoken languages include English and Gilbertese, but English is the official language (CIA).
The islands of Kiribati have a rich history. It is believed that the islands of Kiribati were first inhabited by the Samoans somewhere around 1000-1300 AD. However, there is also evidence that the I-Kiribati were there before then (World Book Student). In 1886, Britain and Germany signed the Treaty of the Unclaimed Pacific, each country taking responsibility for islands no power claimed. Britain took the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. In 1916, Britain and Germany joined to form the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. The Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands became part of this territory as well. However, Europe has not always been in control of these islands. During World War II, Japan occupied the territory until the USA invaded i...
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Foreign exploitation began, when Cook replaced the traditional island subsistence-sharing economy by the for-profit barter and afterward the money economy. Firearms, and sandalwood lumbering where just a few items that brought foreign economic and political control of the ruling ali’i, who were tricked by many greedy Western merchants. The Great Mahele of 1848 and the Kuleana Act of 1850 contained a major land redistribution act, which was forced onto the monarchy by Westerners(Blaisdell, p.44). Bringing fee simple ownership to Hawaiians, these land divisions actually alienated the land from them. The Mahele divided the lands between the chiefs, king and government. The Kuleana act supposedly guaranteed to the makaainana fee simple title to small plots of land, which would eventually separate the individual from the group. (Trask, p.10) Hawaiians depended on the land, they were not use to “private property”, which led to many problems, and the chiefs and the government were heavily indebt to the Western merchants.
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It was not, however, until after World War II, when Tahitians who had served France returned home, that pressure forced the French government to extend French citizenship to all islanders. The first territorial assembly was established in 1946, and by 1949 the islands obtained representation in the French Assembly.
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Area(s) of Operation. State of Hawaii, island of Kauai, Kauai County. Kauai lies 105 miles northwest of the island O’ahu, and is the fourth largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. Per the US Census Bureau, its land area encompasses 619.96 square miles with 108.2 persons per square mile. The nearby islands are, Ni’ihau to the west and O’ahu to the southeast.
The members of the ethnic group of the Algo looks forward to working with the representatives of the three other ethnic groups living on the territory of the Republic of Jarth, respectively: Randies, Takas and Dorfas, in order to create a new constitution for the renewed Democratic Republic of Jarth.
The mother perked up at the idea of Fiji—maybe they could go there instead? “So long as they keep trying other methods, and eventually find one that works, they should be fine.” She hurriedly sought for Fiji through the web, reaching out to grasp the pictures and toss them on the side. “Search: Fiji,” she ordered the computer.
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Vanuatu is a series of islands located of the coast of Australia-Oceania. Vanuatu is rich with resources. Their working on fixing their economy. They have a very interesting culture. The geography of this country is very intriguing.
The Maldives: a group of islands just off Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. This tropical paradise sees thousands of tourists visiting its shores per year. There is just one problem: the highest point of the Maldives is just six feet above sea level, which means that any rise in water level at all would spell disaster for the 1,190 islands and their inhabitants. That is why for the last decade or so the Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed worked vigorously in the fight against global warming while overcoming the tyranny of the previous government. Although this could be the end of this beautiful country Nasheed is not giving up yet.