Kiribati
Oceanía
Kiribati is made up of thirty-three atolls and coral islands scattered across more than three and a half million square kilometres of ocean, which makes it one of the most widely dispersed countries in the world despite having a minimal land area. Almost all of its territory rises barely a few metres above the sea. Kiritimati, in the Line Islands group, is the coral atoll with the greatest emerged land area on the planet and holds seabird colonies of millions of individuals, with terns, shearwaters, boobies and frigatebirds. In the Phoenix group, practically uninhabited, one of the largest marine protected areas in the world was declared, a set of atolls and seamounts with almost intact reefs and dense shark populations.
The nature of Kiribati
National animal: The great frigatebird, the bird represented on the national flag
Did you know?
The bristle-thighed curlew crosses non-stop from Alaska to these atolls, a flight of more than four thousand kilometres over open sea. The astonishing part is what happens next: it is the only wader in the world that can become temporarily unable to fly while moulting its feathers, so it can only winter on islands without land predators. The arrival of rats and cats on an atoll is enough to condemn the curlews that choose it.
Biodiversity profile
Climate
- •Tropical oceanico calido y humedo (BWh/Aw segun isla), con marcado gradiente de precipitacion norte-sur (de ~3.000 mm a menos de 1.000 mm anuales, zonas del sur casi aridas)
Main biomes
- •Vegetacion atolonica sobre suelos arenosos e infertiles (baja diversidad floristica, menos de 300 especies de plantas, ninguna endemica)
- •Manglares en lagunas
- •Atolón coralino
- •Laguna de atolón
- •Colonia de aves marinas
- •Monte submarino
- •Bosquete de pisonia
- •Playa de arena coralina
- •Arrecife oceánico
Marine and coastal ecosystems
- •33 islas de coral (27 atolones verdaderos)
- •Mas de 3 millones de km2 de zona economica exclusiva oceanica
- •Arrecifes de coral en excelente estado segun evaluaciones gubernamentales
Flagship wildlife
- •Aves marinas migratorias
- •Tortuga marina verde
- •Cangrejo de los cocoteros
- •Peces de arrecife e invertebrados marinos diversos
- •Zarapito del Pacífico
- •Fragata grande
- •Piquero patirrojo
- •Charrán sombrío
- •Tortuga verde
- •Tiburón de puntas grises
- •Pez napoleón
- •Manta de arrecife
- •Rálido de la Isla Fénix
Notable endemic species
- •Sin endemismo terrestre vegetal confirmado (0 especies endemicas de plantas registradas)
- •Biodiversidad marina significativa dentro del Hotspot de Polinesia-Micronesia
- •Curruca de Kiritimati
- •Rálido de Bokikokiko
Notable threatened species
- •Tortugas marinas (en riesgo por perdida de playas de anidacion ante subida del nivel del mar)
- •Aves marinas de atolones remotos (Islas Phoenix) vulnerables a especies invasoras
Notable protected areas
- •Area Protegida de las Islas Phoenix (PIPA, Patrimonio Mundial UNESCO)
- •Atolon Caroline/Millennium (ecosistema casi prístino)
- •Área Protegida de las Islas Fénix
- •Atolón de Kiritimati
- •Isla de Malden
- •Isla de Starbuck
- •Atolón de Tarawa
- •Isla de Caroline
Main conservation threats
- •Subida del nivel del mar y erosion costera (amenaza existencial para la nacion, altitud maxima de pocos metros)
- •Especies invasoras en atolones remotos
- •Sobrepesca en algunas zonas
- •Escasa fertilidad del suelo limita la resiliencia de ecosistemas terrestres
Notable natural phenomena
- •Uno de los paises mas vulnerables del mundo a la subida del nivel del mar
- •Parte del Hotspot de Biodiversidad Polinesia-Micronesia
Conservation
The Phoenix Islands Protected Area is a World Heritage Site and one of the largest marine spaces closed to fishing on the planet. The eradication of rats on several atolls has allowed the recovery of seabird colonies that had been gone for a century.
Where and when to watch wildlife
Kiritimati year-round for seabird colonies. The Phoenix Islands, with very restricted access, for reefs and sharks. The western atolls between September and April for migratory waders.
Los datos terrestres (fauna/flora) son escasos por la naturaleza atolonica del pais; la riqueza real de Kiribati es abrumadoramente marina.
Sources: FAO - State of Kiribati's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture | FAO Country Profile Kiribati | One Earth - Eastern Micronesia ecoregion
Parks and reserves
Diving and snorkelling
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Especies documentadas en Kiribati
126 species found
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about Kiribati.