Caroline Atoll, Kiribati

© Brian J. Skerry/Getty Images

Caroline Atoll, Kiribati

Though the island nation of Kiribati totals just 312 square miles of land, the major reef island and 33 atolls that comprise the country are sprinkled across 1.3 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. A former protectorate of the British Empire, Kiribati was called the Gilbert Islands during the 19th century after British explorer Thomas Gilbert who first saw the islands in 1788. The name Kiribati is a spelling variant of “Gilberts” in the local Gilbertese language. During World War II, Kiribati survived some of the most brutal combat in the Pacific Theatre, and as of 1979, has been an independent nation known as the Republic of Kiribati.