Abaiang, also known as Apaiang, Apia, and in the past, Charlotte Island, in the Northern Gilbert Islands, is a coral

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

, located in the west-central

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. Abaiang was the island of the first missionary to arrive in the Gilberts, Hiram Bingham II. Abaiang has a population of 5,872 (2020 census).

Geography

Abaiang Atoll is in the northern

Gilberts The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

, located not very far to the north of

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

that provides sheltered anchorage. The main island of Abaiang, ''Teiro'' (not to be confused with the small islet of ''Teirio'') has a total land area of extends from the northern village of Takarano to the southern village of Tabontebike. It occupies the complete eastern rim and also encircles the southern part of the atoll, stretching over a distance of some Its width ranges from no more than to more than , averaging . It contains 16 of the 18 villages of the atoll. Two other islets, Riboono and Nuotaea are also inhabited. The remaining islets of Abaiang but Taete, with a land area of are mainly uninhabited, with lack of water and remoteness from the mainland being the main issues. They however are used for fishing, copra cutting and campsites. The islets of Ouba and Teirio have had small motels built on them, with staff travelling from the mainland of Abaiang and from Tarawa when guests are expected. In the southwest of Abaiang there is a channel, the Bingham Channel, which is the basic conjunction between the lagoon and the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. The channel is between the biggest island of Abaiang (in the east) and a very little island in the southwest of Abaiang called Teirio.

Effects of climate change

Global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

has created a problem for Abaiang and Kiribati, among other island groups. Houses in

Tebunginako Tebunginako is a village on Abaiang atoll in Kiribati; to its west is Ubanteman, and to its south are Borotiam and Koinawa. The settlement had been dealing with seawater inundation and coastal instability since the 1970s, and is being abandoned. ...

village have been abandoned. As storm surges becoming more frequent and spring tides more forceful, eventually the erosion was so great that the village had to be abandoned. The remains of about 100 thatched homes and a maneabe (community meeting hall) are now up to offshore. The villagers relocated themselves further inland, with the new village retaining the same name.

Villages

In the 2010 Census the total population of 5,502 was spread among 18 villages, with the largest villages being Nuotaea (559 inhabitants) and Tuarabu (560 inhabitants).

Economy

Relative to other islands of

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

, Abaiang has some important economic advantages. Its large lagoon supports a striking diversity of coral and fish species, providing plentiful seafood to the local population and attracting tourists to the island from nearby

South Tarawa South Tarawa ( gil, Tarawa Teinainano) is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonrik ...

. While the island is prone to drought, in normal years the rainfall is sufficient to support breadfruit, banana and papaya as well as the ubiquitous coconut. The closeness of Abaiang to Tarawa also facilitates a significant, though largely informal, trade in local food of all types. However like all outer islands of Kiribati, Abaiang is basically a subsistence economy, with a small number of jobs, mainly working for the Government or Island Council. Other sources of income are

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...

production, and remittances from relatives working in South Tarawa, as crew on international vessels, or overseas. Climate change has forced a change, as

milkfish The milkfish (''Chanos chanos'') is the sole living species in the family Chanidae. However, there are at least five extinct genera from the Cretaceous. The repeating scientific name ( tautonym) is from Greek ( ‘mouth’). The species has man ...

are not as common and plant life is dying off to the increased salt in the water table.

Regional support for organic farming

The island of Abaiang has committed to having 100% of its farm agriculture produced organically. Another Pacific island to have made this commitment is Cicia in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

Schools

There are ten primary schools on Abaiang, with a combined roll of 985 students in 2011. At the secondary school level, in 2011 there were 212 students at the Ministry of Education school, Ueen Abaiang, which is located between the villages of

Koinawa Koinawa is a village on Abaiang atoll in Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Aonobuaka Aonobuaka is a village on Abaiang, atoll in Kiribati. There are 328 residents of the village (2010 census). It is to the north of Koinawa Koinawa is a village on Abaiang atoll in Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ...

. A further 135 students are enrolled at St Joseph's College in Tabwiroa and 23 students at

Steven Whitmee High School Stephen Whitmee High School is a senior high school in Morikao, Abaiang Island, Kiribati. It is affiliated with the Kiribati Uniting Church (formerly the Kiribati Protestant Church)."TABITEUEA NORTH 2008 Socio-Economic ProfilePart 2 of 4 ''Strength ...

Morikao Morikao is a village on Abaiang, atoll in Kiribati. There are 233 residents of the village (2010 census). The nearest villages are Koinawa and Aonobuaka to the north and Taburao is to the south. Stephen Whitmee High School Stephen Whitmee High Sc ...

, making 370 secondary school students in total. The two high schools at Morikao and Tabuiroa accommodate students from all over Kiribati who have passed the entrance examinations to get into the schools.

History

By tradition, the first inhabitants of Abaiang Island were known to be spirits, some of them created in Samoa and some in Abaiang. Years passed by and then Pacific Islanders came along followed then by the arrival of Thomas Gilbert, then Reverend Dr. Bingham and his team in 1857, international traders, beachcombers, whalers and even blackbirders. Colonizers then came along and hoisted the Union Jack on the island. The first European to document the island was Thomas Gilbert in 1788. He named the island Matthew's Island, named for the owner of his ship, the ''Charlotte''. Subsequently, errors changed the name to Charlotte Island. Then the first missionary to live in Kiribati arrived at Abaiang on 16 November 1857. He was Hiram Bingham II of the American Board, a Boston-based missionary group. This Hiram Bingham was the son of

Hiram Bingham I Hiram Bingham, formally Hiram Bingham I (October 30, 1789 – November 11, 1869), was leader of the first group of American Protestant missionaries to introduce Christianity to the Hawaiian islands. Like most of the missionaries, he was from New ...

who was one of the first and most influential missionaries to Hawaii. Hiram Bingham II and his wife were accompanied to Abaiang by Hawaiian pastor Joel Hulu Mahoe and his wife. Bingham landed at the village of Koinawa and a memorial was erected at the spot during the centennial celebrations in 1957. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

occupied the island from December 1941 to November 1943. It was captured by the U.S. military and used as an offensive staging base.

Main sights

Abaiang Post Office opened around 1910. The Catholic community also has strong ties to Abaiang and completed the building of the imposing Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, also at Koinawa village, in October 1907. This work was done under the supervision of a priest from Belgium who was given the local name of Father Ioane. He lived and worked so long on Abaiang and became so well loved that the village of Borotiam was named in honour of his home country Belgium (Borotiam being the local vernacular for Belgium). This church celebrated its centennial in 2007 with a fresh paint job and a celebration whose special guest was the current President. The foremost institution of Abaiang is St. Josephs College. The Principal during the country's silver jubilee celebrations was Paul Chilton, a British migrant. St. Joseph's College was founded in 1939. In the past 65 years it has gone from strength to strength and is now a leading centre for learning in Kiribati. Its alumni include both current President His Excellency

Anote Tong Anote Tong (; born 11 June 1952 in Tabuaeran, Line Islands) is an I-Kiribati politician for the Pillars of Truth party and environmental activist with half Chinese heritage, who served as President of Kiribati, from 2003 to 2016. He won the elect ...

, and previous incumbent

Teburoro Tito Teburoro Tito (''modern'' spelling Tiito, pronounced Seetoh) (born 25 August 1953) is an I-Kiribati politician who served as the President and foreign minister of Kiribati from 1 October 1994 to 28 March 2003. He was elected for the first time in ...

Visiting Abaiang

Transport

The atoll is served by Abaiang Atoll Airport, situated between the villages of Tabwiroa and Tuarabu.

Air Kiribati Air Kiribati (pronounced Air Kiri'bas) is the flag carrier of the Republic of Kiribati and operates scheduled passenger services to 20 atolls spread over an area of 3.5m sq km. It is headquartered at Bonriki International Airport on the island ...

operates three flights a week that connect Abaiang with

Marakei Marakei is a small atoll in the North Gilbert Islands. It consists of a central lagoon with numerous deep basins, surrounded by two large islands separated by two narrow channels. The atoll covers approximately . Geography Marakei's total land ...

and the international airport at

. There are also regular speedboats and boat charters available from

to Abaiang.

Distances

* To

atoll: (over sea) * To

Tarawa atoll Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
'' South Tarawa South Tarawa ( gil, Tarawa Teinainano) is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonrik ...

(national capital, on Tarawa): (over sea)

Accommodation

There are three guesthouses on Abaiang. The Island Council guest house is situated in Taburao village and welcomes tourists as well as providing accommodation for Government workers and other travellers. "Ouba Islet Resort" is an eco-tourism resort on Ouba island in the north-western perimeter of the atoll, which has been operating since July, 2006. "Teiria Islet Beach Escape" is a small resort on the islet of Teiria.

In popular culture

Abaiang inspired the Italian

comic book creator developed specialized terminology. Some several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is ...

Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat, better known as Hugo Pratt (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as ''Corto Maltese''. He was ind ...

to imagine the

fictional island Below is a list of islands that have been invented for films, literature, television, or other media. A * The Abarat: 25 islands in an archipelago, one for each hour and one for all the hours, from the series '' The Books of Abarat'' by Clive ...

of Escondida. It appears in his comic book story of

Corto Maltese ''Corto Maltese'' is a series of adventure and fantasy comics named after the character Corto Maltese, an adventurous sailor. It was created by the Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967. The comics are highly praised as some of the most ...

: The Ballad of the Salty Sea.

References

Sources

* * * * * * *

External links

Exhibit: The Alfred Agate Collection: The United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
from the Navy Art Gallery {{Authority control Gilbert Islands Atolls of Kiribati