Editing Kiritimati (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Kiritimati island 77.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|{{center| [[nautical chart]] (1977)}}]]
Kiritimati's roughly {{convert|328|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} lagoon area opens to the sea in the northwest; ''Burgle Channel'' (the entrance to the lagoon) is divided into the northern ''Cook Island Passage'' and the southern ''South Passage''. The southeastern part of the lagoon area is partially desiccated. The lagoon area currently consists of a {{convert|160|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} main lagoon at Burgle Channel. Southeast of this, the lagoon gradually transitions into a network of subsidiary lagoons, [[tidal flat]]s, partially [[hypersaline]] [[brine]] ponds and [[salt pan (geology)|salt pan]]s which have a total combined area of about {{convert|168|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. Thus, the land and lagoon areas can only be given approximately, as no firm boundary exists between the main island body and the salt flats.<ref name = teebaki1993 />

Kiritimati is a [[raised coral atoll]] with about {{convert|312.38|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} land area surrounding a lagoon area of roughly the same size. Kiritimati has the largest land area in the world amongst atolls that contain a lagoon, and the third largest land area overall, after [[Lifou Island]] and [[Rennell Island]]. Kiritimati is often cited as being the world's largest atoll by land area, however, because Lifou Island and Rennell Island do not have lagoons and therefore end up being overlooked as atolls.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Calder |first=Joshua |date=2003-12-14 |title=Island Misinformation |url=http://www.worldislandinfo.com/MISINFORMATION.htm}}</ref>

In addition to the main island, there are several smaller ones. ''Cook Island'' is part of the atoll proper but unconnected to the Kiritimati mainland. It is a sand/coral island of {{convert|19|ha|acre|0|abbr=on}}, divides Burgle Channel into the northern and the southern entrance, and has a large seabird colony. Islets (''motu''s) in the lagoon include ''Motu Tabu'' ({{convert|3.5|ha|acre|1|abbr=on|disp=or}}) with its ''[[Pisonia]]'' forest and the shrub-covered ''Motu Upua'' (also called Motu Upou or Motu Upoa, {{convert|19|ha|acre|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) at the northern side, and ''Ngaontetaake'' ({{convert|2.7|ha|acre|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) at the eastern side.<ref name="teebaki1993" />

''Joe's Hill'' (originally ''La colline de Joe'') on the north coast of the south-eastern [[peninsula]], southeast of Artemia Corners, is the highest point on the atoll, at about {{convert|13|m|ft|abbr=on}} [[Above mean sea level|ASL]].<ref name="teebaki1993" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Joe's Hill |website=OpenStreetMap |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/1.8177/-157.3124 |access-date=18 October 2020}}</ref> On the northwestern peninsula for example, the land rises only to some {{convert|7|m|ft|abbr=on}},<ref name="streets1877" /> which is still considerable for an atoll. Due to its isolation in the vast Pacific Ocean, ''Joe's Hill'' is the 33rd most topographically isolated summit on Earth.

[[Vaskess Bay]] is a large bay which extends along the southwest coast of Kiritimati Island.

===Climate===
Despite its proximity to the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone|Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)]], Kiritimati is located in an equatorial dry zone and rainfall is rather low except during [[El Niño]] years; {{cvt|873|mm}} on average per year, in some years it can be as little as {{cvt|177|mm}} and much of the flats and ponds can dry up, as happened in late 1978. On the other hand, in some exceptionally wet years abundant downpours in March–April may result in a total annual precipitation of over {{cvt|2500|mm}}. Kiritimati is thus affected by regular, severe droughts. They are exacerbated by its geological structure; [[climate|climatically]] "dry" Pacific islands are more typically located in the "[[desert]] belt" at about 30°N or S [[latitude]]. Kiritimati is a raised atoll, and although it does occasionally receive plenty of [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]], little is retained given the porous [[carbonate rock]], the thin [[soil]], and the absence of dense vegetation cover on much of the island, while [[evaporation]] is constantly high.<ref name=streets1877/> Consequently, Kiritimati is one of the rather few places close to the [[Equator]] which have an effectively [[arid]] climate.<ref name=teebaki1993/>

The temperature is constantly between {{convert|24|and|30|C|F}} with more [[diurnal temperature variation]] than seasonal variation. Easterly [[trade winds]] predominate.<ref name=teebaki1993/>

<div>
{{Weather box
|location = London, Kiritimati, Kiribati
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan record high F = 89
|Feb record high F = 91
|Mar record high F = 92
|Apr record high F = 92
|May record high F = 93
|Jun record high F = 90
|Jul record high F = 90
|Aug record high F = 91
|Sep record high F = 91
|Oct record high F = 92
|Nov record high F = 92
|Dec record high F = 91

|Jan high F = 85
|Feb high F = 85
|Mar high F = 86
|Apr high F = 86
|May high F = 87
|Jun high F = 87
|Jul high F = 86
|Aug high F = 87
|Sep high F = 87
|Oct high F = 87
|Nov high F = 86
|Dec high F = 86

|Jan mean F = 80
|Feb mean F = 80
|Mar mean F = 81
|Apr mean F = 81
|May mean F = 81
|Jun mean F = 81
|Jul mean F = 81
|Aug mean F = 82
|Sep mean F = 81
|Oct mean F = 81
|Nov mean F = 81
|Dec mean F = 80

|Jan low F = 75
|Feb low F = 75
|Mar low F = 76
|Apr low F = 76
|May low F = 76
|Jun low F = 76
|Jul low F = 76
|Aug low F = 77
|Sep low F = 76
|Oct low F = 75
|Nov low F = 76
|Dec low F = 75

|Jan record low F = 66
|Feb record low F = 71
|Mar record low F = 71
|Apr record low F = 70
|May record low F = 73
|Jun record low F = 68
|Jul record low F = 72
|Aug record low F = 71
|Sep record low F = 69
|Oct record low F = 68
|Nov record low F = 67
|Dec record low F = 69

|Jan precipitation inch = 1.0
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.8
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.5
|Apr precipitation inch = 8.1
|May precipitation inch = 3.5
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.2
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.0
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.6
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.1
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.1
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.3
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.6

|Jan precipitation days = 2.4
|Feb precipitation days = 4.6
|Mar precipitation days = 6.0
|Apr precipitation days = 13.8
|May precipitation days = 6.8
|Jun precipitation days = 6.1
|Jul precipitation days = 3.0
|Aug precipitation days = 1.8
|Sep precipitation days = 0.1
|Oct precipitation days = 0.3
|Nov precipitation days = 0.7
|Dec precipitation days = 1.7

|Jan humidity = 77
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 80
|Apr humidity = 83
|May humidity = 81
|Jun humidity = 80
|Jul humidity = 78
|Aug humidity = 75
|Sep humidity = 74
|Oct humidity = 74
|Nov humidity = 73
|Dec humidity = 75

|source 1 = Weatherbase <ref name=Weatherbase>{{cite web
|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=98419&refer=wikipedia
|title=Weatherbase: Historical Weather for London, Kiribati
|publisher=Weatherbase
|year=2011
|access-date=14 May 2016
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611015212/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=98419&refer=wikipedia
|archive-date=11 June 2016
|url-status=live
}}
Retrieved on 24 November 2011.</ref>
|date=November 2011
}}
</div>

===Demography===

At the first census done in the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands]] colony in 1931, there were only 38 inhabitants on the island, most of them workers of the {{ill|Emmanuel Rougier|fr}} Company. After WWII in 1947 there were 52 inhabitants. After the nuclear tests, in 1963, this had increased to 477, reducing to 367 by 1967 but increasing again to 674 in 1973, 1,265 in 1978, 1,737 in the 1985 census, 2,537 in 1990, 3,225 in 1995, 3,431 in 2000, 5,115 in 2005, 5,586 in 2010, 6,456 in 2015 and 7,369 in 2020. This was the fastest population growth in Kiribati.