's Encyclopedia of Stamps & Philatelic Links

KIRIBATI
(The former Gilbert Islands)

Kiribati -

The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were proclaimed a British protectorate in 1892 and became a Crown Colony in 1916. The islands were occupied by Japan during World War II. Ellice Islands severed links from Gilbert Islands to form a separate dependency of Tuvalu in 1975 and Gilbert Islands became independent as Kiribati in 1979. The islands consists of Gilbert, Pheonix, Line and Ocean Islands.

The first postage stamps for Gilbert and Ellice Islands were issued in 1911.

The Manager
Philatelic Bureau
Box 494, Betio
Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati

Agency: Crown Agents Stamp Bureau Ltd. (see below)

Kiribati former: Gilbert Islands - Via the CIA:

Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note�on 1 January 1995, Kiribati unilaterally moved the International Date Line from the middle of the country to include its easternmost islands and make it the same day throughout the country
Independence: 12 July 1979 (from UK)

Crown Agents Stamp Bureau - Worldwide agent

Crown Agents Stamp Bureau
Old Inn House
2 Carshalton Road
Surrey, SM1 4RN U.K.

Tel: +44 (0)181 770 0707
Fax: +44 (0)181 642 0769
Telex: 916205 Calond G
Email: [email protected]

Stamps - Kiribati offered at Crown Agents

current offerings

Kiribati: Postal Services

There is a philatelic agency located on Betio. This has usually been run on behalf of government by an private international specialist company. I do not know who has the contract at present. The address is:

The Manager
Philatelic Bureau
Box 494, Betio
Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati

Kiribati - Visit online

Under the heading 'Business & Economy' is the link above to Postal Services.

and from their History link:

Extract from the preface to 'Tungaru Traditions' by Sir Arthur F. Grimble , edited by Harry E. Maude :

"From 1892 the Gilbert Islands formed part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate (of Great Britain), which became the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony in 1917.

In 1979 it became the independent Republic of Kiribati, without the Ellice Islands, which had become the Dominion of Tuvalu the previous year. ...

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