Line Islands

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Line Islands

The Line Islands, or Equatorial Islands, are a group of eleven atoll

Atoll

An atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely....
s and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
south of the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll....
, eight of which belong to Kiribati

Kiribati

Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
, while three are United States

United States

United States Minor Outlying Islands

The United States Minor Outlying Islands, a statistical designation defined by the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 3166-1 code, consists of nine United States insular areas....
. Those that are part of the Republic of Kiribati

Kiribati

Time zone

A time zone is a region of the earth that has uniform standard time, usually referred to as the local time. By convention, time zones compute their local time as an offset from Coordinated Universal Time ....
, UTC

Coordinated Universal Time

Coordinated Universal Time is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation....
+14

UTC+14

UTC+14 is the time zone immediately west of the International Date Line , and thus the first part of the planet to start each new day....
. The time of day is the same as in Hawaii

Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
, but the date is one day ahead. The time is 25 hours ahead of some other islands in Oceania

Oceania

Oceania is a geography, often geopolitics, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville....
.

All the islands in this group are or were claimed by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
except Filippo Reef.

The group is geographically divided in three subgroups, Northern, Central, and Southern Line Islands.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Line Islands'

Start a new discussion about 'Line Islands'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

The Line Islands, or Equatorial Islands, are a group of eleven atoll

Atoll

An atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely....
s and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Hawaiian Islands

Kiribati

United States

United States Minor Outlying Islands

Kiribati

Time zone

Coordinated Universal Time

Coordinated Universal Time is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation....
+14

UTC+14

UTC+14 is the time zone immediately west of the International Date Line , and thus the first part of the planet to start each new day....
. The time of day is the same as in Hawaii

Hawaii

Oceania

United States

Atoll Atoll An atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.... /Island Island An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets.... /Reef Reef In nautical terminology, a reef is a Rock , bar , or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water .Many reefs result from abiotic processes?deposition of sand, wave erosion planning down rock outcrops, and other natural processes?but the best-known reefs are the coral reefs of tropical waters developed through biotic processes do...	Island Area km²	Lagoon Lagoon A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed Bar , reef, or similar feature.... km²	Status
Northern Line Islands (Fanning's Group)
Kingman Reef Kingman Reef Kingman Reef is a largely submerged uninhabited tropical atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean, roughly half way between the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa at ....	0.03	60	U.S. United States The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U... unincorporated territory
Palmyra Atoll Palmyra Atoll Palmyra Atoll is an incorporated territory atoll administered by the Federal government of the United States. The atoll is 4.6 square miles , and it is located in the Northern Pacific Ocean at ....	6.56	15	U.S. United States The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U... incorporated territory Incorporated territory Territories of the United States are one type of political division of the United States, administered by the U.S. government but not any part of a U.S....
Teraina Teraina Teraina, also known as Washington Island is a coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, part of the Northern Line Islands which belong to Kiribati.... (Washington Island)	14.2	2^*	Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east.... Island Council
Tabuaeran Tabuaeran Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island or Fanning Atoll is one of the Line Islands of the central Pacific Ocean, and part of Kiribati.... (Fanning Island)	33.7	110	Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east.... Island Council
Kiritimati Kiritimati Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands and part of the Kiribati.The island has the greatest land area of any coral atoll in the world: about ; its lagoon is about the same size.... (Christmas Island)	c.322	c.320	Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east.... Island Council
Central Line Islands
Jarvis Island Jarvis Island Jarvis Island is an uninhabited 4.5 square kilometer coral island located in the South Pacific Ocean at , about halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands....	4.45	-	U.S. United States The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U... unincorporated territory
Malden Island Malden Island Malden Island , sometimes called Independence Island in the nineteenth century, is a low, arid, uninhabited island in the central Pacific Ocean, about in area....	39.3	13^*	part of Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
Filippo Reef Filippo Reef Filippo Reef is a reef located in the Pacific Ocean at , 450 km east of Starbuck Island in the Line Islands, which was reported by the master of the Italian barque Filippo as having been seen on June 28, 1886....	-	1.5	outside EEZ
Starbuck Island Starbuck Island Starbuck Island is an uninhabited coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, and is part of the Central Line Islands of Kiribati. Former names include "Barren Island", "Coral Queen Island", "Hero Island", "Low Island" and "Starve Island"....	21	25	part of Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
Southern Line Islands
Caroline Island Caroline Island Caroline Island or Caroline Atoll , is the easternmost of the uninhabited coral atolls which comprise the southern Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean....	3.76	2.5	part of Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
Vostok Island Vostok Island Vostok Island also known as Staver Island, is an uninhabited coral island in the central Pacific Ocean, part of the Line Islands belonging to Kiribati....	0.24	-	part of Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
Flint Island Flint Island Flint Island is an uninhabited coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, part of the Southern Line Islands belonging to Kiribati....	3	-	part of Kiribati Kiribati Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
Line Islands	514,74	538

^* The lagoon areas marked with an asterisk are contained within the island areas of the previous column because they are, unlike in the case of a typical atoll, inland waters completely sealed off from the sea.

Only three islands are inhabited, with a total population of 8,809 (census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
of 2005), of which 5,115 are on Kiritimati

Kiritimati

Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands and part of the Kiribati.The island has the greatest land area of any coral atoll in the world: about ; its lagoon is about the same size....
, 2,539 on Tabuaeran

Tabuaeran

Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island or Fanning Atoll is one of the Line Islands of the central Pacific Ocean, and part of Kiribati....
, and 1,155 on Teraina

Teraina

Teraina, also known as Washington Island is a coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, part of the Northern Line Islands which belong to Kiribati....
. The total population of these three atolls in 1900 was about 300.

Kiritimati is the largest atoll

Atoll

An atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely....
in the world in terms of land area. The islands were annexed by Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
in 1888 with a view to laying the Pacific cable

All Red Line

The All Red Line was an informal name for the system of electrical telegraphs that linked all the British Empire.It was inaugurated on 31 October 1902....
with Tabuaeran (then Fanning Island) as a relay station. That cable functioned between 1902 and 1963 except for a short period in 1914.

Copra

Copra

Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam language word kopra for dried coconut....
and "Petfish" are the main export products (with seaweed).