Kiribati

Located in the Pacific Ocean, Kiribati is composed of three main island groups: the Gilbert Islands, the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands. The terrain is mostly coral atoll, surrounded by coral reefs. Kiribati straddles the Equator and is the only country in the world located in all four hemispheres. Less than a quarter of the country is used for human activities, in its majority by urban use. Kiribati has high biodiversity rarity of terrestrial land vertebrates at a global scale. When analysed as single taxons, the rarity of birds is also high. The rarity of marine fish and mammals is also high. Challenges to biodiversity include heavy pollution due to overcrowding and open-pit dumping; water insecurity; and coastal erosion.