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Tabiteuea is an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, south of the Tarawa Atoll. The atoll consists of two main islands: Eanikai in the north, Nuguti in the south, and several smaller islets in between along the eastern rim of the atoll. The atoll has a total land area of 38 km², while the lagoon measures 365 km2. The population numbered 4,899 in 2005. While most atolls of the Gilbert Islands correspond to local government areas governed by island councils, Tabiteuea, like the main atoll Tarawa, is divided into two: *Tabiteuea North has a land area of 26 km2 and a population of 3,600 , distributed among twelve villages (capital Utiroa) *Tabiteuea South has a land area of 12 km2 and a population of 1,299, distributed among six villages (capital Buariki). ==History== "Tabiteuea" is Gilbertese for "land of no chiefs"; the island is traditionally egalitarian. In the late 1800s, the two islands were the site of a religious war when the populace of Tabiteuea North converted to Christianity and, led by a man called Kapu who had assembled a "hymn-singing army on a crusade", invaded and conquered Tabiteuea South, which had maintained traditional religious practice.〔MACDONALD, Barrie, ''Cinderellas of the Empire: Towards a history of Kiribati and Tuvalu'', 2001, ISBN 982-02-0335-X, p.38〕 The Battle of Drummond's Island occurred during the United States Exploring Expedition in April 1841 at Tabiteuea, then known as Drummond's Island. After one sailor from sloop USS ''Peacock'', was captured by the islanders, the Americans decided on exacting redress for the incident. Twelve islanders were killed in the fighting and others were wounded. During the American Civil War, the Confederate States Navy steamer CSS Shenandoah visited the island on March 23, 1865 in search of United States whalers, but the whalers had fled the area. Captain James Waddell described the islanders as "of copper colour, short of statue, athletic in form, intelligent and docile" and were "without a stich of clothing".〔WADDELL, James ''C.S.S. Shenandoah: The Memoirs of Lieutenant Commanding James I. Waddell'', 1996, ISBN 1-55750-368-0, p.143〕 Tabiteuea Post Office opened around 1911 and was renamed Tabiteuea North around 1972. Tabiteuea South Post Office opened on 13 September 1965. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tabiteuea」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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