Line Islands
chain of eleven atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean
The Line Islands, also known as the Teraina Islands or the Equatorial Islands (Gilbertese: Aono Raina), are a chain of 11 atolls (with partly or fully enclosed lagoons, except Vostok and Jarvis) and coral islands (with a surrounding reef) in the central Pacific Ocean, in the Polynesia sub-region of Oceania south of the Hawaiian Islands. Eight of the atolls are parts of Kiribati. The remaining three—Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll—are territories of the United States grouped with the United States Minor Outlying Islands.
The Line Islands, all of which were formed by volcanic activity, are one of the longest island chains in the world, stretching 2,350 km (1,460 mi) from northwest to southeast. One of them, Starbuck Island, is near the geographic centre of the Pacific Ocean (4°58′S 158°45′W). Another, Kiritimati, has the largest land area of any atoll in the world. Only Kiritimati, Tabuaeran, and Teraina have a permanent population. The islands had no permanent inhabitants until European colonisation and the current inhabitants descend from the Micronesian Gilbertese people despite the islands' location in the Polynesian Triangle. Besides the 11 confirmed atolls and islands, Filippo Reef is shown on some maps, but its existence is doubted.
The International Date Line passes through the Line Islands.
“Line Islands” enters the record as chain of eleven atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Line, Islands and chain can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Line Islands” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Line, Islands and chain provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q234796. VIAF identifies the subject as 83148570459024310197. Authority coordinates are 1.700, -157.200. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Line Islands”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Line Islands primary sources, Line Islands archive and Line research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Line Islands”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Line Islands” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.