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The history of Kiribati is as colorful as this island nation and before you visit Kiribati you can note all the interesting historical details so that you can get a first impression of this place. According to the history of Kiribati this island nation was discovered in 1820. Historical facts about Kiribati state that this island nation was initially inhabited by an ethnic group of Micronesian origin.

They stayed there for centuries until the American and European discoverers spotted this island. Kiribati’s history will tell you that it was only in the late 18th century that the British ships discovered this island and named it Gilbert Islands. The discovery of this island can be credited to the French Captain Louis Duperrey and the Russian Admiral Adam von Krusenstern. It is said that Thomas Gilbert was the first person to cross the archipelago and hence to salute the achievements of the great wanderer the island was named thus.

It was early in 1837 that the British settlers came to this island and together with the Ellice Islands it became a part of the Crown Colony in 1916. History of Kiribati will tell you that all these islands and portion of Tarawa Atoll were captured by the Japanese Army during the World War II. Tarawa witnessed many changes including a lot of bloodshed when the US Marine Corps fought against the army of the Allied Forces. 1971 was an important year in the history of Kiribati as both the Ellice Islands and the Gilbert Islands achieved self-rule.

However it was not until 1979 that Kiribati became independent and a Treaty that was signed afterwards stated that United States had no claim on Kiribati. As portions of Kiribati were overcrowded it was declared that people will be shifted to lesser populated areas. Teburoro Tito was the first president who came to power through electoral measures. The history of Kiribati has seen many things including a controversial act that wanted to close down all the newspaper houses. As it was a direct hit to democracy the act was soon declared null and void.

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