Coordinates: 9°56′13.13″S, 150°12′41.40″W Sunset at Colonia on Yap The Caroline Islands form a large archipelago of widely scattered islands in the western Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

NASA orbital photo of Caroline Island; north is to the upper right. The two largest islets are Nake Islet (top) and South Islet (bottom) and are about 500 m wide.

Caroline Island or Caroline Atoll (also known as Millennium Island), is the easternmost of the uninhabited coral atolls which comprise the southern Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Atoll in the western Pacific Ocean Photo: www. ... The Line Islands are a group of eleven atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean south of the Hawaiian Islands, eight of which belong to Kiribati, while three are United States territories that are grouped with the United States Minor Outlying Islands. ...

First sighted by Europeans in 1606, claimed by the United Kingdom in 1868, and part of the Republic of Kiribati since the island nation's independence in 1979, Caroline Island has remained relatively untouched and is considered one of the world's most pristine tropical islands, despite guano mining, copra harvesting, and human habitation in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is home to one of the world's largest populations of the coconut crab and is an important breeding site for seabirds, most notably the sooty tern. A noontime scene from the Philippines on a day when the Sun is almost directly overhead. ... The Chincha guano islands in Peru. ... Copra drying in the sun Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1767 Coconut crab distribution The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. ... The Sooty Tern is highly aerial and marine and will spend years flying at sea without returning to land. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1766) Synonyms Sterna fuscata Linnaeus, 1766 The Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscata — formerly Sterna fuscata (Bridge , 2005) — is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. ...

The atoll is best known for its role in celebrations surrounding the arrival of the year 2000 — a 1995 realignment of the International Date Line made Caroline Island one of the first points of land on Earth (outside Antarctica) to see sunrise on January 1, 2000. “Date line” redirects here. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

Geography and climate

See also: List of islets of Caroline Island

Caroline Atoll lies near the southeastern end of the Line Islands, a string of atolls extending across the equator some 1500 km (900 miles) south of the Hawaiian Islands in the central Pacific. The slightly crescent-shaped atoll (3.76 km² or 1.45 mi² in land area) consists of 39 separate islets surrounding a narrow lagoon. Extending approximately 9 km (6 mi) from north to south and 2 km (1 mi) from east to west, the islets rise to a height of only 6 meters (20 ft) above sea level. The islets, like those of all atolls, share a common geologic origin and consist of sand deposits and limestone rock set atop a coral reef. Caroline Island is composed of roughly 39 small islets, listed here north-to-south by group: Bryan, E.H. (1942). ... The Line Islands are a group of eleven atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean south of the Hawaiian Islands, eight of which belong to Kiribati, while three are United States territories that are grouped with the United States Minor Outlying Islands. ... Map of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands that stretches 2,400 km in a northwesterly direction from the southern tip of the Island of Hawai‘i. ... Pacific redirects here. ... To help compare sizes of different geographic regions, we list here areas between 1 km² (100 hectares) and 10 km² (1000 hectares). ... For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef, in this case the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. ...

The many islets of Caroline Island are separated by shallow channels. In the foreground: coral rubble beach and Tournefortia shrub on Long Islet. In the background: Pisonia forest and a row of non-indigenous Coconut palms on Nake Islet.

Three large islets make up the bulk of Caroline's land area: Nake Islet (1.04 km² or 0.40 mi²) at the north; Long Islet (0.76 km² or 0.29 mi²) at the northeast of the lagoon and South Islet (1.07 km² or 0.41 mi²).^[1] The remaining assembly of small islets, most of which were named during the 1988 ecological survey, conducted by Angela and Cameron Kepler, fall into four major groupings: the South Nake Islets, the Central Leeward Islets, the Southern Leeward Islets, and the Windward Islets (see map). Caroline's islets are particularly ephemeral — over the course of a century of observation, several of the smallest islets have been documented to appear or disappear entirely following major storms, while the shapes of larger ones have significantly changed.^[1][2] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... To help compare sizes of different geographic regions, we list here areas between 10 hectares (100,000 m²) and 100 hectares (1,000,000 m²). See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ...

The central lagoon, roughly 6 km by 0.5 km (3.5 miles by 0.3 miles), is shallow – at most 5–7 m (15–25 ft) in depth – and is crossed repeatedly by narrow coral heads and patch reefs. Reef flats generally extend about 500 m (1600 ft) from shore — although some sources report them to extend more than a kilometer from land — and make boat landings perilous except at high tide.^[1] There are no natural landings, anchorages, or deep water openings into the central lagoon; water which spills into the lagoon over shallow channels at high tide is contained within the surrounding reef and remains stable despite ocean tides. Most landings are generally made at a small break in the reef at the northwest corner of South Islet (visible on the satellite photo above).^[2]

Caroline (circled, lower right) is the easternmost island in the central Pacific republic of Kiribati.

There is no standing fresh water on Caroline Island, although the Nake and South Islets harbor underground freshwater aquifers (or Ghyben-Herzberg lenses),^[3] and wells have been built to tap drinking water for temporary settlements.^[4] Soils on Caroline are similarly poor, dominated by coral gravel and sand, with significant organic content present only within stable, forested island centers. Guano deposits make island soil, where it does exist, nitrogen-rich; but even in the oldest and most vegetated regions of the atoll, soils are only a few centimeters (one or two inches) thick.^[2] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. ... General Name, symbol, number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, period, block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless gas Standard atomic weight 14. ...

Like the rest of Kiribati, Caroline Island enjoys a tropical maritime climate – consistently hot and humid. Meteorological records are sparse, but temperatures generally range between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius (82 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit) year-round.^[5] Caroline lies within a region of highly variable precipitation, but is estimated to receive an average of 1500 mm (60 in) of rain annually. Tides are on the order of 0.5 m (1.5 feet) and trade winds, generally from the northeast, mean that corner of the island experiences the roughest seas.^[2] This article is about tides in the Earths oceans. ...

Caroline Island is among the most remote islands on earth^[6] – 230 km (140 mi) from the closest land at Flint Island, 1500 km (930 mi) from the nearest permanent settlement on Kiritimati, 4200 km (2600 mi) from the Kiribati capital of Tarawa, and 5100 km (3200 mi) from the nearest continental land in North America. Flint Island is an uninhabited coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, part of the Southern Line Islands belonging to Kiribati. ... For the island in the Indian Ocean, see Christmas Island. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

Flora and fauna

See also: List of species on Caroline Island

Although it remains unclear whether the coconut crab is endangered, Caroline Island hosts a substantial population of this arthropod.

Despite more than three centuries of occasional human impact on Caroline, it is considered to be one of very few remaining "near-pristine tropical islands."^[3] and has been rated as one of the most unspoiled Pacific atolls.^[7] Its relatively undisturbed state has led to Caroline being considered for designation as a World Heritage Site and as a Biosphere Reserve. Ecological surveys documenting the island's flora and fauna have been made intermittently through the later 20th century: Caroline was visited in 1965 by the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program, in 1974 by the Line Island Expedition, and in 1988 and 1991 by the United Nations Environment Programme Wildlife Conservation Unit.^[8] Although it remains unclear whether or not the coconut crab is endangered, Caroline Island hosts a substantial population of the arthropod. ... Coconut (robber) Crab Image comes from this users [1] webpage. ... Coconut (robber) Crab Image comes from this users [1] webpage. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1767 Coconut crab distribution The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... A biosphere reserve is an international conservation designation given by UNESCO under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB). ... Klaus Töpfer, former UNEP Exec. ...

Caroline Island is heavily vegetated, and most islets possess three ringed zones of vegetation: an outermost herb mat, typically comprised largely of Heliotropium anomalum; an inward zone of shrub, primarily Tournefortia argentea; and a central forested region, typically dominated by groves of Pisonia grandis trees. Coconut palms have also been introduced and exist in substantial quantities on the larger islets. This pattern of vegetation is consistent across the larger islets, with smaller islets lacking the central forest and the smallest vegetated solely by low herbs.^[2] Other common plants include Messerschmidia argentea, Suriana, and Morinda citrifolia.^[8] Species 250-300, see text The Heliotropes (Heliotropium) is a genus of plants in the family Boraginaceae with 250 to 300 species. ... Binomial name Pisonia grandis is a tree species distributed throughout the coral cays of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L.. The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera L.), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ... Binomial name Morinda citrifolia Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni (from the Hawaiian language) or aal (in Hindi), is a vine-like tree of the Rubiaceae family. ...

Caroline Island is an important breeding site for a number of species of seabirds, most notably the Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscata), numbering around 500,000 – a colony of Sooty Terns dominates the eastern islets – and the Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor), numbering over 10,000. Caroline Island and its neighbor, Flint Island, also host some of the world's largest populations of the coconut crab. (Birgus latro).^[1] Other native animals include the Tridacna clam, which is abundant in the central lagoon, hermit crabs, and multiple species of lizards.^[8] Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1766) Synonyms Sterna fuscata Linnaeus, 1766 The Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscata — formerly Sterna fuscata (Bridge , 2005) — is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. ... Binomial name Fregata minor (Gmelin, 1789) The Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor), also known as the Iwa, is a migratory seabird in the frigatebird family. ... Flint Island is an uninhabited coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, part of the Southern Line Islands belonging to Kiribati. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1767 Coconut crab distribution The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. ... Binomial name Tridacna gigas Linnaeus, 1758 Detail of mantle The Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas) or traditionally, pa’ua, is the largest living bivalve mollusc. ... Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infra-order Paguroidea, distinct from the true crabs in the infra-order Brachyura. ...

The endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) nests on the beaches of Caroline Island, but there have been reports of poaching by recent homesteaders.^[8] The Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis), a migrant visitor from Alaska, is also classified as vulnerable.^[3] The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... Binomial name Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) This page redirects from Chelonia, which is the genus name of this turtle, but has also been used for the order Testudines of all turtles and tortoises. ... Binomial name Numenius tahitiensis (Gmelin, 1789) The Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis, is a large shore bird whose habitat ranges from Alaska to the tropical Pacific. ... Official language(s) None[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... NatureServe, in cooperation with other conservation partners, has developed its own conservation status ranking system. ...

Around twenty non-native species of flora have been introduced to Caroline Island via human contact. Among these are the Ipomea tuba vine, which has begun to proliferate. Domestic cats and dogs introduced alongside a small homestead have driven the seabird population away from the islet of Monu Ata-Ata.^[3] Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ...

History

Prehistory

Caroline Island is believed to have originated from a volcanic hotspot which eroded and then become home to a coral reef which grew above the ocean surface. Although these geological processes are poorly understood, the orientation of the Line Islands (roughly north-south) suggests that they were formed more than 40 million years ago, before the Pacific Plate changed its direction of travel. The same hotspot more recently gave rise to the Tuamotu Archipelago.^[9] In geology, a hotspot is a location on the Earths surface that has experienced active volcanism for a long period of time. ...  The Pacific plate, shown in pale yellow The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... Categories: Stub | Polynesia ...

There is evidence of settlement by Polynesian peoples on the largest islets from before European contact.^[2] Graves and template platforms were uncovered by early expeditions to the island, and a large marae exists on the west side of Nake Islet.^[4] To date, these artifacts have not been surveyed by archaeologists. Polynesian culture refers to the aboriginal culture of the Polynesian-speaking peoples of Polynesia and the Polynesian outliers. ... A Maori word now common in New Zealand English, marae refers an area of land where the Wharenui or meeting house (literally big house) sits. ...

17th to 19th century

French and American expeditions converged on Caroline Island in May 1883 to observe an unusually long total solar eclipse. An expedition member made this drawing.

The first recorded sighting of Caroline Island by Europeans was on February 21, 1606, by Pedro Fernández de Quirós, a Portuguese explorer sailing on behalf of Spain; his account names the island "San Bernardo."^[2] The atoll was "rediscovered" on December 16, 1795 by Captain William Robert Broughton of the HMS Providence, who gave the atoll the name Carolina (which later became "Caroline") "in compliment to the daughter of Sir P. Stephens of the Admiralty."^[2] Caroline was again sighted in 1821 by the English whaling ship Supply and was then named "Thornton Island" for the ship's captain. Other early names for the atoll include Hirst Island, Clark Island, and Independence Island. Among other early visits which left behind accounts of the island are that of the USS Dolphin in 1825 (recorded by Lieutenant Hiram Paulding), and of a whaling ship in 1835 (recorded by Frederick Debell Bennett in his Narrative of a Whaling Voyage Round the Globe From the Year 1833–1836). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 444 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (500 × 675 pixels, file size: 100 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Artists depiction of the 1883 total solar eclipse observed at Caroline Island. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 444 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (500 × 675 pixels, file size: 100 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Artists depiction of the 1883 total solar eclipse observed at Caroline Island. ... Photo taken during the 1999 eclipse. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 27 - The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins ending in their execution on January 31 May 17 - Supporters of Vasili Shusky invade the Kremlin and kill Premier Dmitri December 26 - Shakespeares King Lear performed in court Storm buries a village of St Ismails near... Pedro Fernández de Quirós (1565 - 1614) (in Portuguese Pedro Fernandes de Queirós), was a Portuguese seaman and explorer. ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The HMS Providence was a British naval vessel of the 18th century. ... Look up Caroline in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Philip Stevens was First Secretary of the Admiralty in the late 1700s and later a Lord Commissioner of the British Admiralty between 1795 and 1806. ... Flag of the Lord High Admiral The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... The crew of the oceanographic research vessel Princesse Alice, of Albert Grimaldi (later Prince Albert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch. ... USS Dolphin, 12, a schooner, was the second ship of the United States Navy named for the aquatic mammal. ... Hiram Paulding (1797-1878) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, who served from the War of 1812 until after the Civil War. ...

In 1846, the Tahitian firm of Collie and Lucett attempted to establish a small stock-raising and copra (coconut meat) community on the island, an operation which met with limited financial success. In 1868, Caroline was claimed by the British vessel HMS Reindeer, which noted 27 residents in a settlement on South Islet. This settlement lasted until 1904, when the 6 remaining Polynesians were relocated to Niue.^[2] Copra drying in the sun Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. ... HMS Reindeer was a British naval sloop of the Chameleon class, in service from 1866 to 1876. ...

In 1872, the island was leased by the British government to Houlder Brothers, who conducted minimal guano mining on the island. In 1881, the lease was later taken over by the mining operation's manager, John T. Arundel (for whom one of the islets is named).^[4] Guano mining, which began in 1874, supplied a total of about 10,000 tons of phosphate until supplies were exhausted around 1895.^[2] The Chincha guano islands in Peru. ... A phosphate, in inorganic chemistry, is a salt of phosphoric acid. ...

In 1883, an expedition of American astronomers traveled from Peru to Caroline Island aboard the USS Hartford to observe a total solar eclipse on May 6. A French expedition also observed the eclipse from Caroline, and the United States Navy mapped the atoll.^[4] Johann Palisa, a member of the expedition, discovered an asteroid later that year which he named Carolina "in remembrance of his visit to [the] island."^[10] Two ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Hartford, named in honor of the Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. ... Photo taken during the 1999 eclipse. ... USN redirects here. ... Johann Palisa (December 6, 1848 – May 2, 1925) was an Austrian astronomer, born in Troppau in Austrian Silesia (now in the Czech Republic). ... 235 Carolina is a sizeable Main belt asteroid. ...

20th century

Leased to S.R. Maxwell and Company, a new settlement was established in 1916, this time built entirely upon copra export. Much of the South islet was deforested to make way for coconut palms, a non-indigenous plant.^[2] The business venture, however, went into debt, and the island's settlement slowly decreased in population. By 1926, it was down to only ten residents and by 1936, the settlement consisted of only two Tahitian families before abandonment sometime in the late 1930s.^[4] Copra drying in the sun Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. ... Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of the French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. ...

Caroline Island remained uninhabited and undisturbed through World War II and afterwards. It remained under British jurisdiction, repossessed by the British Western Pacific High Commission in 1943 and governed as part of the Central and Southern Line Islands. In January 1972, the Central and Southern Line Islands, including Caroline, were joined with the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, which had become autonomous in 1971 as part of British decolonization efforts.^[11] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Line Islands, or Equatorial Islands, are a group of eleven atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean south of the Hawaiian Islands, eight of which belong to Kiribati, while three are United States territories that are grouped with the United States Minor Outlying Islands. ... The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a British protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 — until 1 January 1976 when the islands were divided into two different colonies which became independent nations shortly after. ... Colonialism in 1945 Decolonization refers to the achievement of independence by the various Western colonies and protectorates in Asia and Africa following World War II. This conforms with an intellectual movement known as Post-Colonialism. ...

In 1979, the Gilbert Islands became the independent nation of Kiribati; Caroline Island was then and continues to be Kiribati's easternmost point. The entire island is presently owned by the government of the Republic of Kiribati, overseen by the Ministry of Line and Phoenix Groups, which is headquartered on Kiritimati. Competing claims to sovereignty over the island by the United States (under the Guano Islands Act) were relinquished in a 1979 "Treaty of Friendship," ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1983.^[12] The Phoenix Islands are a group of eight atolls, plus two submerged coral reefs in the central Pacific Ocean, east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands. ... For the island in the Indian Ocean, see Christmas Island. ... The Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States...

The island was briefly inhabited again from 1987 to 1991 by Ron Falconer, his wife Anne, and their two children, who developed a largely self-sufficient settlement on the atoll. Following a transfer of ownership, Falconer was evicted from the island by the Kiribati government. A book, Together Alone (ISBN 1-86325-428-5), written by Falconer, documents the story of their residence on Caroline Island.^[13] Jim Phillips of Hawaii and Sally Seesay of the Gambia inhabited the island for 5 months in last half of 1992, rejuvenating Falconer's homesite while staying on their yacht "Satisfaction" most of the time. That story is yet to be written.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1990s, the island was leased to Urima Felix, a French Polynesian entrepreneur; he established a small homestead on one of the islets and reportedly had plans for development of the atoll. The island is also occasionally visited by Polynesian copra gatherers under agreements with the Kiribati government in Tarawa.^[8] Copra drying in the sun Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. ... Map of the Tarawa atoll Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. ...

Time zone realignment

Following a 1995 time zone realignment, Caroline Island (red dot at far east of map) became the easternmost land west of the International Date line.

On December 23, 1994, the Republic of Kiribati announced a change of time zone for the Line Islands, to take effect January 1, 1995. This adjustment effectively moved the International Date Line over 1000 kilometers (600 mi) to the east within Kiribati, placing all of Kiribati on the Asian or western side of the date line, despite the fact that Caroline's longitude of 150 degrees west corresponds to UTC−10 rather than its official time zone of UTC+14. Caroline Island now is at the same time as the Hawaiian Islands (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time Zone), but one day later.^[14] This move made Caroline Island both the easternmost land in the earliest time zone (by some definitions, the easternmost point on Earth), and one of the first points of land which would see sunrise on January 1, 2000 — at 5:43 a.m., as measured by local time. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 397 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (495 × 748 pixels, file size: 245 KB, MIME type: image/png) Adapted version of the post-1995 South Pacific section of Image:International Date Line. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 397 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (495 × 748 pixels, file size: 245 KB, MIME type: image/png) Adapted version of the post-1995 South Pacific section of Image:International Date Line. ... is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... −12 | −11 | −10 | −9:30 | −9 | −8 | −7 | −6 | −5 | −4 | −3:30 | −3 | −2:30 | −2 | −1 | −0:25 | UTC (0) | +0:20 | +0:30 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3:30 | +4 | +4:30 | +4:51 | +5 | +5:30 | +5:40 | +5:45 | +6 | +6:30 | +7 | +7:20 | +7... UTC+14 is the easternmost time zone currently in use anywhere in the world, and thus the first part of the planet to start each new calendar day. ... The Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone includes the state of Hawaii, and the Aleutian Islands west of 169º 30 W. It is the time zone located just west of the Alaska Standard Time Zone. ... This is a list of lists of extreme points of the world, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other locations on the landmasses, continents or countries. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

The stated reason for the move was a campaign promise of Kiribati President Teburoro Tito to eliminate the confusion of Kiribati straddling the Date Line and therefore being constantly in two different days. However, Kiribati officials were not reluctant to attempt to capitalize on the nation's new status as owners of the first land to see sunrise in 2000.^[15] Other Pacific nations, including Tonga and New Zealand's Chatham Islands, protested the move, objecting that it infringed on their claims to be the first land to see dawn in the year 2000.^[16] Teburoro Tito (modern spelling Tiito, pronounced Seetoh) (born 1953) was the President and foreign minister of Kiribati from October 1, 1994 to March 28, 2003. ... The Chatham Islands from space. ...

In 1999, in order to further capitalize upon the massive public interest in celebrations marking the arrival of the year 2000, Caroline Island was officially renamed Millennium Island. Although uninhabited, a special celebration was held on the island, featuring performances by Kiribati native entertainers and attended by Kiribati president Tito.^[17] Over 70 Kiribati singers and dancers traveled to Caroline from the capital Tarawa,^[18] accompanied by approximately 25 journalists. The celebration, broadcast by satellite worldwide, had an estimated audience of up to one billion viewers.^[17] The third millennium (so called because it is the third period of 1000 years in the Common Era) is a period of time which began on (depending on your beliefs) 1 January 2001 and will end on 31 December 3000 or 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2999. ... South Tarawa (in Gilbertese and English: Teinainano Urban Council or abr. ...

Despite many media and government claims to the contrary, Caroline Island was not the first point of land to see sunrise on January 1, 2000 (local time); that distinction belongs to a point of land between Dibble Glacier and Victor Bay on the coast of East Antarctica, at 66°03′S, 135°53′E, where the sun rose 35 minutes earlier.^[19] As this point is close to the Antarctic Circle, and the area beyond the Antarctic Circle is affected by the continuous sunlight in December, the definition of the exact point becomes a question of distinguishing between a sunset and an immediate sunrise in view of atmospheric refraction effects. is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... East Antarctica, also called Greater Antarctica, (80° S 80° E) is one of the two major regions of Antarctica, lying on the Indian Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains and comprising Coats Land, Queen Maud Land, Enderby Land, Mac. ... Zoomable PDF of the map this is based on The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ... The midnight sun at Nordkapp, Norway. ... Atmospheric refraction is the deviation of light or other electromagnetic wave from a straight line as it passes through the atmosphere due to the variation in air density as a function of altitude. ...

21st century and future

As Caroline Island only extends six meters above sea level, it is in danger as sea levels rise. The Kiribati government estimates that the island may be reclaimed by the sea as soon as 2025,^[18] and the United Nations has rated Caroline Island as among those most in danger from sea level rise.^[20] Sea level measurements from 23 long tide gauge records in geologically stable environments show a rise of around 20 centimeters per century (2 mm/year). ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ...

Footnotes

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Bennett, Frederick Debell (1970). Narrative of a Whaling Voyage Round the Globe From the Year 1833–1836. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 90-6072-037-7. 
• Bryan, E.H. (1942). American Polynesia and the Hawaiian Chain. Honolulu: Tongg Publishing Company.  (Text of "Caroline Island" chapter online at: Caroline Island (Millennium Island), Line Islands, Republic of Kiribati (HTML). Jane's Oceania Home Page.)
• Falconer, Ron (2004). Together Alone. Australia: Bantam Books. ISBN 1-86325-428-5. 
• Kepler, A.K.; C.B. Kepler (February 1994). "The natural history of the Caroline Atoll, Southern Line Islands". Atoll Research Bulletin 397–398. 
• Scott, D.A. (1993). A Directory of Wetlands in Oceania. Slimbridge, UK: International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau. ISBN 0-9505731-2-4.  (Text of "Caroline Island" profile online at: Caroline Atoll (HTML). Protected Areas and World Heritage Programme Profiles.)

External links

• UNEP Protected Areas Program Profile
• Living Archipelagos Profile
• Oceandots: Caroline Island
• High-resolution photo map of Caroline Island
• Millennium Celebrations on Millennium Island at Jane's Oceania Home Page
• An Astronomer's Voyage to Fairy-Land, from The Young Folks' Library, Volume XI, by Prof. E.S. Holden.
• The Looking for Nemo Expedition, by Wayne and Karen Brown.