Tabiteuea is an
atollAn atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu
OED. Its first recorded use in English was in 1625 as atollon...
in the
Gilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of 16 atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of the Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert...
,
KiribatiKiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east.The...
, south of
TarawaTarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
. The atoll consists of two main islands, Eanikai in the north, and Nuguti in the south, and several smaller islets in between along the eastern rim of the atoll. The atoll has a total land area of 38 km², while the
lagoonA lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. Thus, the enclosed body of water behind a barrier reef or barrier islands or enclosed by an atoll reef is called a lagoon. This...
measures 365 km². The population numbered 4,899 in 2005.
While most atolls of the Gilbert Islands correspondent to local government areas governed by island councils, Tabiteuea, like the main atoll Tarawa, is divided into two:
- Tabiteuea North has a land area of 26 km² and a population of 3,600 , distributed among 12 villages (capital Utiroa)
- Tabiteuea South has a land area of 12 km² and a population of 1,299, distributed among 6 villages (capital Buariki)
"Tabiteuea" is Gilbertese for "land of no chiefs"; the island is traditionally
egalitarianEgalitarianism has two distinct definitions in modern English. It is defined either as a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have the same political, economic, social, and civil rights or as a social philosophy advocating the removal of economic...
.
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Tabiteuea is an
atollAn atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu
OED. Its first recorded use in English was in 1625 as atollon...
in the
Gilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of 16 atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of the Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert...
,
KiribatiKiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east.The...
, south of
TarawaTarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
. The atoll consists of two main islands, Eanikai in the north, and Nuguti in the south, and several smaller islets in between along the eastern rim of the atoll. The atoll has a total land area of 38 km², while the
lagoonA lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. Thus, the enclosed body of water behind a barrier reef or barrier islands or enclosed by an atoll reef is called a lagoon. This...
measures 365 km². The population numbered 4,899 in 2005.
While most atolls of the Gilbert Islands correspondent to local government areas governed by island councils, Tabiteuea, like the main atoll Tarawa, is divided into two:
- Tabiteuea North has a land area of 26 km² and a population of 3,600 , distributed among 12 villages (capital Utiroa)
- Tabiteuea South has a land area of 12 km² and a population of 1,299, distributed among 6 villages (capital Buariki)
"Tabiteuea" is Gilbertese for "land of no chiefs"; the island is traditionally
egalitarianEgalitarianism has two distinct definitions in modern English. It is defined either as a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have the same political, economic, social, and civil rights or as a social philosophy advocating the removal of economic...
. In the late 19th century, the two islands were the site of a religious war when the populace of Tabiteuea North converted to Christianity and, led by a man called Kapu who had assembled a "hymn-singing army on a crusade", invaded and conquered Tabiteuea South (which had maintained traditional religious practice).
The island is among those that were visited in 1841 by the
United States Exploring ExpeditionThe United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean conducted by the United States Navy from 1838–1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in 1836...
. During the Expedition's sojourn on the island, one sailor was killed by natives; twelve islanders were killed in the ensuing retaliatory attack.