Lighthouses of Kiribati

The Republic of Kiribati (pronounced "keer-ih-bahs") includes 33 coral atolls scattered across a vast stretch of the central Pacific Ocean. Most of the country was previously a British colony known as the Gilbert Islands. The Phoenix Islands, at the central part of the country, were also claimed by the U.S., and the U.S. and Britain administered several of them jointly until Kiribati was granted its independence in 1979. The only lighthouse is on Kanton Island, one of the islands of the Phoenix group.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights.

Kanton Island Light; QSL card image
courtesy of Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society;
all rights reserved

Lighthouse
* Kanton (Canton) Island (Abariringa): 1938. Inactive. 8 m (30 ft) rubblestone tower. In addition to the photo above, a photo of the lighthouse dedication ceremony on 27 July 1938, is available (2/3 of the way down the page). Canton Island, now spelled Kanton, is an atoll in the Phoenix group, originally claimed by both the U.S. and Britain. In 1939 the two countries agreed to joint sovereignty over the island, which continued until the U.S. surrendered its interest in 1979 in favor of newly-independent Kiribati. Meanwhile, American settlers arrived in March 1938. Pan American Airways built an airfield in 1939 and used Canton as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights in 1940-41 and from 1946 to 1958. The U.S. space agency NASA operated a tracking station on the atoll from 1960 to 1965. The new government of Kiribati settled a small community on the atoll; the current population is about 40. The light tower appears to be in good condition. Site open, tower status unknown. ARLHS CKB-001.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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