GILBERT AND ELLICE. — A British colony (since 1915), comprising, in addition to the two archipelagos of the G. (16 islands, situated astride the equator: 400 sq. km, with 28,000 inhabitants) and of the E. (9 southern islands: 36 sq. km, with 3,555 inhabitants), and Ocean Island (56 sq. km, with 2,744 inhabitants), belonging to Micronesia, the three islands of Christmas, Fanning, and Washington (together 662 sq. km, with 334 inhabitants) of the Polynesian Sporades.
In 1937 the eight coral islets known as the Phoenix Islands (61 sq. km, with 62 inhabitants) were annexed to the colony; two of them (Canton and Enderbury) were jointly administered by Great Britain and the United States after 1938. All the islands are coral atolls, except Ocean, or Banaba, which is extremely rich in phosphates. The population consists of Micronesian and Polynesian natives, engaged in agriculture (tropical crops); there are scarcely 250 whites. The colony is governed by a resident, who is subordinate to the high commissioner of the Western Pacific Islands.
APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF THE G. ISLANDS. — In 1888 two priests of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart went to the G. Islands, which were erected into an apostolic vicariate on 28 July 1897. They had previously belonged to the apostolic vicariate of Micronesia (v. RABAUL), and the Ellice Islands, Banaba, and Nauru were annexed to them.
In the Phoenix Islands, the missionaries of the vicariate exercise their ministry, but the other islands—Howland, Palmira, Fanning, Christmas, and Jarvis—do not belong to II. The area of the 36 islands is approximately 500 sq. km, lying between the 165th eastern and 165th western meridians and between the 5th northern and 11th southern parallels. The region is equatorial and arid, with few resources. Tarawa Island is the seat of the Ordinary and of the civil administration. The Gilbertese are of Polynesian stock, having come from Samoa between 1440 and 1500. Protestants preceded Catholics in the work of evangelization. Some islands have been declared closed to the apostolate following measures enacted by the civil authorities.
The inhabitants number 40,000, of whom 14,050 are Catholics and 21,504 Protestants. Several are still pagans. In addition (1949), there are 20 missionaries, 3 brothers, and 26 sisters. Catechists: 130; quasi-parishes: 16; secondary stations: 99; churches: 40; dispensaries: 16; elementary schools: 125, with 2,434 pupils; secondary schools: 2, with 320 pupils; teacher-training schools: 1, with 42 pupils. A periodical is published there, with
approximately 500 copies. Difficulties of communication among the various islands prevent the mission from developing further.