Islands of Kiribati

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Kiribati consists of three island groups. They are, from west to east:

• The Gilberts Group (including Banaba and known prior to western contact as Tungaru)
• The Phoenix Group
• The Line Islands Group

Satellite images of the different islands are available through NASA

Lech Slawomir Tomczak's Kanton page has some history of the island and a story about his trip there in 1999.  The second part of his article (only in Norwegian so far) can be found at http://www.qsl.net/la7mfa/story.html.  There are also some photos from Bill McCarty who was stationed on Kanton during WWII at http://www.qsl.net/la7mfa/war.html.

"Janes Kiribati Home Page" at www.janeresture.com  has the complete text, along with photographs, of the articles about the various Line and Phoenix Islands from the Edwin H Bryan, Jr. book.

Villages and place names - listing for the whole country.

Maps of the islands of the Gilberts Group and kiritimati may be bought here.

I-Kiribati communities overseas

• Solomon Islands
• Rambi Island, Fiji
• Australia
• New Zealand (Aotearoa)

PHOENIX ISLANDS

(Motu Lakau, Motu Lavaki, Phoenix Group)

ABARIRINGA (Aba-Riringa, Canton [Atoll], Canton Island, Kanton, Mary Island, Mary Balcout Island, Swallow Island) -- place names: Pyramid Point - at the southeast tip of the atoll; Spam Island - in the northwestern part of the atoll, obviously named for that famous canned meat product!

BIRNIE [ATOLL] (Birnie Island, Birney) -- no place names

CARONDELET REEF -- About 60 miles southeast of Nikumaroro, is a horseshoe-shaped shoal, about 1500 yards across, known as Carondelet Reef, after the vessel which reported it.

ENDERBURY [ATOLL] (Ederbury Island, Enderbury Island, Guano) -- no place names

MANRA (Sydney [Atoll], Sydney Island) -- no place names

McKEAN [ATOLL] (McKean Island, M'Kean Island) -- no place names

NIKUMARORO (Gardner [Atoll], Gardner Island, Kemins' Island, Kemis Island, Motu Oonga) -- no place names

ORONA (Hull [Atoll], Hull Island, Orono) -- no place names

RAWAKI (Phoenix [Atoll], Phoenix Island) -- no place names

WINSLOW REEF

Notes: names in parentheses (---) are former names or alternate spellings; a term in brackets [---] means that use of the term, in these cases "Atoll," is acceptable, as is the name standing alone. I underlined the two place-names I have found in these islands, and gave a general location.

LINE ISLANDS (Equatorial Islands)

 -- [excluding Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll]

CAROLINE [ATOLL] (Caroline Island, Clark Island, Hirst Island, Independence Island, Thornton Island) -- place names: Arundel Islet, Bird Islet, Brothers Islet, Long Island, Nake [Island], Pig Islet, South Island.

FILIPPO REEF -- no place names

FLINT ISLAND -- place name: South Point.

KIRITIMATI (Christmas Atoll, Christmas Island) -- place names: Aeon Point, Antilles {islands), Auvergne Sand Hills, Azores {islands}, Benson Point, Bertha Bay, Bridges Point, Cat Island, Cecile Peninsula (Cecile Peninsular), Cochrane Reef (Cochrone Reef), Cook Island (Cook Islet), Greigs Grove, The Isles, The Isles Lagoon, Joes Hill, London {settlement}, Main Camp {settlement}, Cape Manning, Motu Manu, Manulu Lagoon, Norman's Lagoon, North East Point (Northeast Point), North West Point (Northwest Point), Paris {settlement} Poland {settlement}, Port Marie Island, Saint Stanislaus Bay, Semple Reef, South East Point (Southeast Point), South West Point, Motu Tabu, Tahiti {settlement}, Treasure Hill, Tuba Island, Motu Upou, Vaskess Bay, Wilkes Lagoon, Bay of Wrecks.

MALDEN ISLAND (Independence Island) -- place names: Malden Island Anchorage, Northwest Point.

STARBUCK ISLAND (Barren Island, Coral Queen Island, Hero Island, Low Island, Starve Island, Volunteer Island) -- no place names.

TABUAERAN (America Island, Fanning [Atoll], Fanning Island, Tapuaerangi, Wecksriff Island) -- place names: Alert Point, Bicknell Point, Black Rock, Cartwright Point, Danger Point, English Harbour, Fenua-ura {point}, Greig Point, Kitty Point, Metaua Point, Napari {settlement}, Napia {area}, Napu Nairaroa {point}, North Cape, Peao {area}, Pono-tai {point}, Puta-tutae {lagoon}, Rapa-iti {point}, Taru-fefe {point}, Motu o Tau, Tawata {point}, Tefare-turaina {lagoon}, Teharoa-iti {point}, Tehenua o Tepapa {point}, Teuru-mangaro {area}, Torea Torea Point, Vai-tepu {point},Weston Point, Whaler Anchorage.

TERAINA (Arapata, New York Island, Prospect Island, Washington Island) -- no place names.

VOSTOK [ISLAND] (Anne Island, Bostock Island, Leavitts Island, Reaper Island, Staver Island, Vostock Island, Wostock Island, Wostok Island)

Notes: In the listing of place names for each island or atoll, you will note I have used the following conventions: I have included in [square brackets] that part of the place-name which is optional, in (parentheses) alternative names for a place, in (italicized parentheses) variant spellings of the place name, in {curly brackets} the type of place, such as islands or settlement when no indication is found in the actual name. I assume you and others visiting your site will know that Motu means island in the Polynesian languages. I have alphabetized by the actual place name, placing it where it would belong, not by the adjectives, such as The Isles, under "I," Motu Upou under "U," and Bay of Wrecks under "W" -- I hope this isn't too confusing, I've underlined that portion of the name by which it was alphabetized..

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