Gilbert & Ellice year 1937/39 stamps Local Motives MNH full set

Gilbert & Ellice year 1937/39 stamps Local Motives ☀ MNH (**) full set

The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a British colonial entity in the Pacific Ocean. They comprised two groups of atolls and islands, the Gilbert Islands (now known as Kiribati) and the Ellice Islands (now known as Tuvalu).

The Gilbert Islands consist of 16 atolls and coral islands, while the Ellice Islands are made up of nine atolls. The British administered the Gilbert and Ellice Islands as a single colony from 1916 until they were separated in 1976.

In 1976, the Ellice Islands separated from the Gilbert Islands to become the independent nation of Tuvalu. The Gilbert Islands, meanwhile, were granted self-rule as the Republic of Kiribati.

Both Kiribati and Tuvalu are members of the Commonwealth of Nations and are located in the central Pacific Ocean. They face challenges such as rising sea levels due to climate change, which threaten the existence of their low-lying atolls.