On this day 46 years ago, on July 12, 1979 (June 19, 1979 lunar calendar), Kiribati became independent. The presidential palace of the Republic of Kiribati is a Pacific island country. There are 33 small islands in the country, divided into the three main islands of the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands and the Lane Islands, with a total of 32 atolls and 1 coral island, from the famous Christmas Island in the east to the westernmost Banaba Island, distributed in the waters of 3,800 kilometers on the equator, with the world's largest marine protected area. Kiribati is one of the least developed countries (low-developed countries) in the world. Kiribati is located in the Pacific Ocean, and its Lane Islands are the only place in the world that uses the UTC 14 time zone, which also makes Kiribati the first country in the world to start the day. Due to rising sea levels caused by global warming, the sea may flood the country. Kiribati is the only country in the world that crosses the equator and crosses the intersection of the International Date Line. In 1892, the Gilbert Islands, together with the Ellis Islands, became the British protectorate of the "Gilbert and Ellis Islands" (GilbertandElliceIslands). It became a British colony in 1916. It became a autonomous region in 1971. In 1974, due to ethnic strife, the Polynesian residents of the Ellis Islands demanded a vote to separate from the Micronesian-dominated Gilbert Islands. In 1978, the Ellis Islands became independent as Tuvalu, and the Gilbert Islands declared independence the following year (1979) (National Day, July 12, 1979), and changed the country's name to Kiribati. After Kiribati's independence, the United States announced that it would give up the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands, two sparsely populated islands, which were collectively known as the Line Islands, and joined Kiribati. On June 25, 1980, Kiribati established diplomatic relations with China. On November 29, 2003, the Chinese government decided to suspend diplomatic relations with Kiribati. Fascinating sunsets Beautiful seaside coral coconut groves Kiribati Council South Tarawa Island