Malden Island, sometimes called Independence Island in the 19th century, is a low, arid, uninhabited atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, about 39 km2 (15 sq mi) in area. It is one of the Line Islands belonging to the Republic of Kiribati. The lagoon is entirely enclosed by land, though it is connected to the sea by underground channels, and is quite salty.
NASA orbital photo of Malden Island (north at top)
Boat landing on Malden Island with ruins of old settlement
A pair of masked boobies (Sula dactylatra) calling on Malden Island
Grey-backed terns flying over Malden Island with lagoon in background
Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, with more than half living on Tarawa atoll. The state comprises 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island, Banaba. Its total land area is 811 km2 (313 sq mi) dispersed over 3,441,810 km2 (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean.
Portrait of a native of the Makin Islands, drawn by Alfred Thomas Agate (1841)
Declaration of a protectorate on Abemama by Captain EHM Davis, 27 May 1892
Boeing 314 Clipper in cruise, 1940
Stamp with portrait of King George VI, 1939