Kiritimati Where Every New Day Begins

Kiritimati Island (pronounced Christmas Island) the world’s largest coral atoll is main hub for the Line Islands group of the Republic of Kiribati situated within the northern Line Islands group of Kiribati 232 km (144 mi) north of the Equator and 2,160 km (1,340 mi) south of the Hawaiian Islands. The atoll was discovered by Captain James Cook on the eve of the 24th December 1777 during his third Pacific voyage who named it “Christmas Island”

Being the greatest land area of any coral atoll in the world, Kiritimati has land area is of 388 square kilometers (150 square miles); its lagoon is roughly the same size. It also accounts for than 70% of the total land area of the Kiribati islands combined. The island is generally low-lying and flat, seldom rising to more than 3 or 4 meters over sea level.

Kiritimati Island is on a time zone of UTC+14 that is 20 hours ahead of Honolulu on the other side of the International Date Line and 2 hours ahead of the capital Tarawa the administrative center in the Gilbert Islands Group. During the post war of WWII, Kiritimati was occupied by British and American U.S Allied forces, and was a testing ground for nuclear and hydrogen bombs.

Today Kiritimati Island is a popular international tourism destination for world class salt water fly fishing. Birdwatching, diving, surfing and lagoon tours are also popular recreational activities for travellers visiting the atoll.