Travel the World - Week 22

This is the 22nd week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

Kiribati

Kiribati is made up of 33 coral islands divided among three groups of islands: the Line Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and the Gilbert Islands. Most of these islands are coral atolls. According to Britannica – “Atolls form when corals build a colony, or reef, around the top of a volcanic island. Eventually, the reef reaches the surface of the water and becomes land.”

The islands are located roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia in the Micronesian region of the South Pacific.

Kiribati has some beautiful beach scenery, is a great place for boating or yachting and many of the atolls are lovely to explore on bike of foot.

The isolated location of the Kiribati islands prevents tourism from flourishing, and becoming a major business, even though the weather is consistently warm, offshore reefs teem with colorful fish, and WWII shipwrecks are commonplace, especially off the eastern edge of Kiritimati.

It is the only nation in the world that lies in all four hemispheres(North, South, east and West) of the world.

Kiribati has only 103,500 inhabitants.

Of the 33 islands of Kiribati, 21 are inhabited. 

A popular festival celebrated in Kiribati is the Yap Day Festival, which is held every year in the month of March.

Due to the lack of natural resources, Kiribati is amongst the world’s poorest countries.

Cultivation of crops on the island nation is very difficult due to poor soil and variation in rainfalls. However, there is plenty of seafood available in the island country.

Coconut palms dominate the landscape on each island. Together with the products of the reef and the ocean, coconuts are the major contributors to village diet—not only the nuts themselves but also the sap. The gathered sap, or toddy, is used in cooking and as a sweet beverage; fermented, it becomes an intoxicating drink.

There are no animals that are native to Kiribati, although early settlers brought dogs and pigs with them. 

The island is famous for fishing because of the availability of a variety of fish including sailfish, marlin, wahoo, barracuda, and tuna. Giant Trevally is one of the most sought after fish of the island. It has distinct features and can weigh up to 80 kg.

The island is also famous for bird watching. Some of the species of the birds that can be seen on the island include pacific long-tailed cuckoo, Kuhl’s lorikeet, and the endemic Christmas Island warbler. Some beautiful seabirds also flourish on the island nation.

Scuba divers also have an opportunity to see over 200 species of coral.These species include a variety of marine animals like turtles, dolphins, sharks and reef fish.

Kiribati is susceptible to experience a rise in sea level due to global warming and such a rise in the water level of the sea will cause contamination of fresh water with salt water making it unsuitable for drinking. Moreover, the island will become uninhabitable.

Due to the rise in sea level, two small uninhabited islands disappeared below the sea in 1999. The nation is under threat of being engulfed by the sea in the coming 50 years or more.

The country has bought 6000 acres of land from Fiji to relocate its people
at a safer place. Fiji is more than 1000 miles away from Kiribati.

The only bird that can be only found in Kiribati is the Bokikokiko. 

The majority of the population of Kiribati is Christian. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right and this right is well respected in the country.

The New Year arrives first in Kiribati and then in any other country in the world. This is because Kiribati is furthest ahead of Greenwich.

Rural houses are open-sided rectangular structures that have raised floors and thatched roofs. In the towns, concrete and corrugated iron are used for building houses.

All health services are free. A nurses’ training school is maintained at the 160-bed Central Hospital in Tarawa. There are four medical districts, each with its own medical officer and staff. Each inhabited island has a dispensary, and there is a medical radio network linking all the islands.

I decided to let this Kiribati fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Education is valued in the country and hence schooling is made compulsory from age six. At least 20% of the children receive higher education.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Kraftin' Kimmie Smarty Pants stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Cajun Craze CS and Imaginisce DP and other scraps from my scrap file

Dies: Spellbinders Circles

Embellishment: Oriental Trading Apple/Brads