7754757366_0bb6bba88e_z

Teddy Nee,

Correspondent (Travel)

 

Kiribati is an independent country located in the central Pacific Ocean and is one of the Commonwealth countries. The locals pronounce the name as ‘Kiribas’ or ‘Gilberts’, derived from the Gilbert Islands, the main island in the country. The name in the indigenous language is ‘Tungaru’. The Gilbert Islands was named after a British explorer, who was also the first European to discover them, Thomas Gilbert. Kiribati comprises 33 coral islands in three islands groups — Gilbert group, Phoenix group and Line group.

Language
The people of Kiribati known as I-Kiribati, speak Gilbertese (Kiribati) language daily and most of them understand English too, as it is also an official language. Apart from that, I-Kiribati of Mili (the Marshall Islands), Nui (Tuvalu), Rabi Island (Fiji), and other islands also speak Gilbertese.

“ti” is pronounced as “as” in Gilbertese language. Therefore, the locals pronounce “Kiribati” as “Kiribas”. Here is a list of Gilbertese words:

  • Mauri = Hello / Welcome
  • Eng = Yes
  • Iaki/ Tiaki = No
  • Ko rabwa = Thankyou
  • Taiaoka = Please
  • Ngkoe = You
  • Ngai = I
  • Tiabo = Goodbye

Attractions
Kiribati loves celebrations. You can watch traditional dancing and singing at the Christian events such as Christmas and Easter, and Kiribati Independence Day (July 12). Besides, you can also enjoy competition of several varieties such as choir, singing, dancing and sporting, including canoe, wrestling and Oreano (a sport of throwing a large heavy ball to the opponent and hoping that they cannot catch it).

Kiribati has one of the best fishing locations in the world, from the crystalline waters to the deep blue waters. There is also excellent game fishing, which have obtained many International Game Fishing World Records. The deep waters around the Gilbert Islands and Kiritimati are great places for record breaking game fishing.

You can find a number of World War II historical sites in Kiribati. These evidences remain available for tourist as a living museum, in particular the Gilbert group of islands, Butaritari and Abemama, Tarawa, and Banaba Island. The Japanese entered Kiribati in December 1941 after the Pearl Harbour bombard. The US Marines held three major operations in August 1942 to remove the Japanese, including “The Battle of Tarawa” one of the bloodiest battles in World War II.

Scuba diving, surfing, bird watching, and a number of tours and other outdoor activities are also available for tourist in Kiribati.

Image Courtesy: © Julie Lyn | Flickr

The following two tabs change content below.
Teddy Nee

Teddy Nee

Blogger at Nee's Language Blog
Teddy Nee holds a Bachelor degree in Applied Computing of a university in Taiwan. He is also a language enthusiast, a website developer, and an IMBA student. He is currently running his language blog at www.neeslanguageblog.com
Teddy Nee

Latest posts by Teddy Nee (see all)