Which Is The Only Country In The World To Be In All 4 Hemispheres?

There are 195 countries in the world, each with its own backstory, quirks, and landscape. Additionally, the globe is divided into 4 hemispheres. We've got the Northern Hemisphere up top, the Southern down below, and then the Eastern and Western sides, split by the Prime Meridian. Most countries fit neatly into just one or two of these halves. But here's a curveball: there's one country that manages to sneak into all four hemispheres at once. Sounds made up, right? Let's dig into the wild geography of this under-the-radar spot and see how it pulls off this global hat trick.

Which Is The Only Country In The World To Be In All 4 Hemispheres?

Source: Reddit

The Earth is divided into four sections by two main lines. The equator splits it into north and south, while the 180th meridian splits it into east and west. Only one nation has its land scattered so widely that it touches all four parts at once. That special country is a beautiful island nation called Kiribati.

Where Is Kiribati?

Kiribati is a tiny country located far out in the central Pacific Ocean. Even though its actual land is very small, its islands are spread across a massive ocean area of about 3.5 million square kilometres. That is roughly the size of the entire continental United States.

The country is made up of 33 coral islands. These islands are split into three main groups: the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and the Line Islands. Because these groups are so far apart, some sit north of the equator, some sit south of it, some are on the east side of the world, and others are on the west side.

What Are The Neighbouring Countries Of Kiribati?

Since Kiribati is a remote island nation in the middle of the deep blue sea, it does not share any land borders with other countries. However, it does have a few island neighbours scattered across the Pacific Ocean. Its closest maritime neighbours include Nauru to the west, Tuvalu to the south, and the Marshall Islands to the northwest. If you look further out, it sits roughly halfway between the islands of Hawaii and the continent of Australia.

What Is The Capital Of Kiribati?

The official capital of Kiribati is an atoll named Tarawa. More specifically, the government centres are located on the southern part of this atoll, known as South Tarawa. South Tarawa is made up of a string of small islets connected by low causeways. It is the most crowded part of the country, where more than 50% of the entire population lives and works.

10 Interesting Facts About Kiribati

• Even though it is spelt "Kiribati", it is actually pronounced as "Kiribas". The "ti" sound in their local language makes an "s" sound.
• It is home to Kiritimati (Christmas Island), which is the largest single coral atoll in terms of land area in the whole world.
• Most of the land in Kiribati is less than 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) above sea level, making it highly vulnerable to rising oceans.
• The country has a very young population, with the median age of its citizens being around 23.1 years old.
• During the 1960s, both the United Kingdom and the United States used some of the remote Line Islands for testing nuclear weapons.
• Kiribati was a British colony for many decades, but officially gained its independence on July 12, 1979.
• The Phoenix Islands Protected Area in Kiribati is one of the biggest marine conservation zones on Earth, covering over 400,000 square kilometres.
• The terrain is completely flat. There are zero rivers, lakes, or mountains anywhere in the entire country.
• While they have their own coins, the official currency used for daily trade is the Australian Dollar.
• A 1989 United Nations report highlighted that Kiribati could become completely uninhabitable in the 21st century due to climate change.

A Quick Glance At The Geography of Kiribati

The following dataset gives us a quick, clear look at the basic geographic and physical properties of this unique Pacific nation.

Which Country Starts The Next Day First?

Kiribati is the very first country to welcome a brand-new calendar day. Before 1995, the International Date Line cut right through the middle of the country, which meant different islands had different days. To fix this confusion, the government moved the line dynamically to the east on January 1, 1995. Now, the Line Islands group sits in the UTC+14 time zone, making it the earliest place on Earth. When a new year arrives, the residents of Kiribati are the first humans to celebrate it.