Kiribati is a country in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is made of 33 islands, spread over a huge piece of sea, so it looks tiny on land but very wide on a map. About a hundred thousand people live there. Britain once ruled it and called it the Gilbert Islands; it has been independent since 1979. The government sits at Bairiki, on Tarawa.

Kiribati is a country in the middle of the Pacific OceanKiribati是位在太平洋中央的一個國家 It is made of 33 islands它由33座島嶼組成 spread over a huge piece of sea散布在一大片海域上 so it looks tiny on land but very wide on a map所以陸地面積看起來很小，但在地圖上範圍很廣 About a hundred thousand people live there大約有十萬人住在那裡 Britain once ruled it英國曾經統治過它 and called it the Gilbert Islands稱之為Gilbert Islands（吉爾伯特群島） it has been independent since 1979它自1979年起獨立 The government sits at Bairiki政府所在地是Bairiki（拜里基） on Tarawa位於Tarawa（塔拉瓦環礁）上

Though actually, “Kiribati” is how the local language, Gilbertese, says “Gilberts”: in that language the letters ti sound like s, so people who know the place say something like “Kiribas”, not “Kiri-bah-tee”. The old native name for the main Gilbert chain is Tungaru. Leaders chose Kiribati when they became a republic because the country is more than those islands — it also takes in other atolls farther away.

Though actually不過其實 “Kiribati” is how the local language, Gilbertese, says “Gilberts”「Kiribati」是當地語言Gilbertese（吉爾伯特語）唸「Gilberts」的方式 in that language the letters ti sound like s在那個語言裡，ti這兩個字母聽起來像s so people who know the place say something like “Kiribas”, not “Kiri-bah-tee”所以熟悉這個地方的人會唸成類似「Kiribas」，而不是「Kiri-bah-tee」 The old native name for the main Gilbert chain吉爾伯特群島主要島鏈的古老原住民名稱 is Tungaru是Tungaru Leaders chose Kiribati when they became a republic領導人在成為共和國時選擇了Kiribati這個名字 because the country is more than those islands因為這個國家不只包含那些島嶼 it also takes in other atolls farther away還包括更遠的其他環礁