Kiribati

Episode of Series “Oceans of Dreams - Currents of Change Series”.
Kiribati becomes an independent nation in 1979. The Republic comprises 33 coral atolls, formerly the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Island groups. The atolls are often no more than a few metres above sea level, extremely narrow and with scant soil and surface water. Kiribati’s 719 square kilometres must support a population of approximately 65,000. What the land lacks in natural resources is compensated for by a vast ocean economic zone (3 million square kilometres), straddling the equator and stretching from near Hawaii in the North to Tuvala and Fiji in the south. The film looks at contemporary and traditional life, the challenges and changes which this Republic faces today.