44 years ago, at Bairiki Stadium, South Tarawa, in the Republic of Kiribati, independence was granted, and since then, the most welcoming, warm, loving nation we know of has been growing and thriving! Here's to 44 and more with Peace, Health, and Prosperity for all! | Humans of Kiribati

Kiribati's fisheries were crippled long before foreign fleets arrived. The WWII Battle of Tarawa devastated Betio's reefs and destroyed ~17,000~ coconut trees, obliterating the local subsistence economy. This historical collapse forced Kiribati into pragmatic, high-stakes deals. Their 1985 pact with the USSR was less a desperate act and more a calculated move to leverage Cold War tensions for economic benefit, sparking regional alarm. Decades later, their celebrated Phoenix Islands Protected Are