Borotiam is a village on

Abaiang Abaiang, also known as Apaiang, Apia, and in the past, Charlotte Island, in the Northern Gilbert Islands, is a coral atoll of Kiribati, located in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Abaiang was the island of the first missionary to arrive in the ...

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 ...

. There are 375 residents of the village (2010 census). The nearest villages, to the north, are

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. A ...

and

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 ...

is to the east. The village has a medical clinic that is staffed by a Nursing Officer and the clinic is accessed by resident of the Borotiam and Tebunginako community. The lagoon coastline of Borotiam is being eroded by wave action. Borotiam (pronounced as "Borosiam") is named after

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

.More information on the origin of 'Borotiam' and link to Belgium
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Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

and

have shared a historical tie which began with a Belgian

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

who arrived in

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

over a hundred years ago. He was so loving, devoted and committed to his congregation, that the people were deeply touched and decided to name their village as

. In the

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

, this was written as Borotiam, a name which has been kept to this day as a symbol of the everlasting appreciation for the Belgian sacrifice that had contributed significantly to the progress and wellbeing of

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

References

Populated places in Kiribati {{Kiribati-geo-stub