Kiritimati

Kiritimati or Christmas Island (Kiribati), atoll, part of the republic of Kiribati, in the central Pacific Ocean. One of the Line Islands, Kiritimati is the largest atoll in the world. The chief economic activity is the raising of coconuts. Explored in 1777 by Captain James Cook, it was annexed by Britain in 1888 and after 1919 was included in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands dependency. The atoll was an air base of the United States during World War II (1939-1945) and served as a base for British nuclear tests in 1957 and 1958 and for U.S. nuclear tests in 1962. It was included in the Gilbert Islands dependency from 1976 to 1979, when the dependency became independent, as Kiribati. Area, 610 sq km (240 sq mi); population (1990) 2,537.