New Year 2024: Kiribati becomes first nation to welcome 2024
New Year 2024: As people around the world prepare to welcome a new year, the Republic of Kiribati, an island nation has already welcomed 2024.
Kiribati is in the Micronesia sub-region of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean and is ahead of all countries in terms of time zones.
Kiribati celebrated the New Year at 3:30 p.m. Indian Standard Time, well ahead of the rest of the world. Kiribati, with a population of over 1.2 lakh people, sits on the equator, and the International Date Line circles these islands.
While the rest of the world awaits the transition from 2023 to 2024, Kiribati has already begun the new year. It is ironic that Kiribati attracts the majority of attention only around the New Year, as curiosity drives people to seek out locations that are far ahead in time.
The Chatham Islands (part of New Zealand) are the second place to ring in the New Year, only fifteen minutes after Kiritimati Island.
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