On September 20, 1979, representatives of the newly independent Republic of

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

and of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

met in Tarawa to sign a treaty of friendship between the two nations, known as the Treaty of Tarawa. More formally, the treaty is entitled, "Kiribati, Treaty of Friendship and Territorial Sovereignty, September 20, 1979"; and subtitled "Treaty of Friendship Between the United States of America and the Republic of Kiribati". In this treaty, the U.S. acknowledged Kiribati sovereignty over fourteen islands. The treaty was approved by the U.S. Senate on June 21, 1983. The treaty came into force on September 23, 1983, by the exchange of the instruments of ratification, which took place at

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Di ...

, Fiji.Text of the Treat
United Nations, Treaty Series, #28230
/ref> This, together with British cessation of claims, ended the

Canton and Enderbury Islands The Canton and Enderbury Islands consist of the coral atolls of Canton Island (also Kanton) and Enderbury in the northeastern part of the Phoenix Islands, about 1,850 miles (3,000 km) south of Hawaii in the central Pacific Ocean. History ...

Condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

, which had begun under the terms of the Guano Islands Act. In Art. 3 the US have reserved the right to maintain military bases on the Islands of Canton, Enderbury or Hull.

Islands mentioned in the treaty

* Birnie Island * Canton (Kanton) * Caroline Island * Christmas (Kiritimati) * Enderbury Island * Flint Island * Gardner (Nikumaroro) * Hull (Orona) *

Malden Island Malden Island, sometimes called Independence Island in the 19th century, is a low, arid, uninhabited atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, about in area. It is one of the Line Islands belonging to the Republic of Kiribati. The lagoon is enti ...

* McKean Island * Rawaki Island * Starbuck Island * Manra Island * Vostok Island

References

{{Reflist , refs = {{cite web , url = http://www.trussel.com/kir/treaty.htm , title = Treaty of friendship between the United States of America and the Republic of Kiribati , quote = Advise and consent to ratification by the Senate June 21, 1983; , accessdate = 2018-01-18 History of Kiribati Kiribati–United States relations Treaties of Kiribati Treaties of the United States Treaties concluded in 1979 Treaties entered into force in 1983 International territorial disputes of the United States 1979 in Kiribati 1979 in the United States Disputed islands of Oceania Guano Islands Act Line Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Line Islands (Kiribati)

Islands mentioned in the treaty

See also

References