As it is the final Sunday of the year, I thought it fitting to feature the country that is first to ring in the new year. As 2025 draws to a close, many people worldwide plan celebrations to welcome the coming year. Since our planet has been sectioned into 24 time zones it means that those celebrations do not happen at once. Instead of following lines of longitude strictly, the time zones often follow the boundaries of countries, mainly for the convenience of keeping the same time. As a result, the country that welcomes each new year first is the island nation of Kiribati (pronounced kirr-i-bas).
Kiribati is located in the Pacific Ocean. It is made up of 33 coral islands that span approximately 3,900 km / 2,400 mi east to west and about 2,100 km / 1,300 mi north to south while having a land total of only 811 sq km / 313 sq mi. The country consists of three archipelagos: the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and the Line Islands. It is also the only country to lie in all four hemispheres—northern, eastern, southern, and western.
Due to the vast area Kiribati spans, the International Date Line was moved eastward in 1995. This decision allows the country to be entirely in one day as opposed to two days. As a result, Kiribati’s easternmost inhabited islands are the first to cheer “Happy New Year”.
Of all its islands, the easternmost is Caroline Island, also called Millennium Island. However, it is uninhabited, so the party actually begins on Kiritimati—the easternmost inhabited island as well as one of the largest atolls in the world.
I find it to be a fun fact that this central Pacific island nation is the first in the world to see each sunrise but also greet each year before the rest of us. And with that, I want to wish every one a healthy, happy 2026. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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