Kiribati (pronounced [ˈkiɾibÉ‘s]kiribati - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary or kee-ree-bahs in Gilbertese), officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It comprises 32 atolls and one raised coral island dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres (1,351,000 square miles) straddling the equator and bordering the International Date Line to the east. The name Kiribati is the local variant of "Gilberts", derived from Kiribati's main island chain, the Gilbert Islands and its former colonial name, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands .