The tiny nation of Kiribati controls more of the ocean than the country with the largest population in the world – India – despite having 1.4 billion fewer citizens.

Due to its remoteness, the country of around 130,000 inhabitants, commands the 12th largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the world.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an EEZ “is an area of the ocean, generally extending 200 nautical miles (230 miles) beyond a nation’s territorial sea, within which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources.”

The Marshall Islands are the closest nation to Kiribati, but it’s more than 230 miles away. As such, Kiribati’s EEZ does not cut across the claims of any other nations and therefore is not subject to legal dispute. Interestingly, the tiny nation is in fact 100 times smaller than the United Kingdom.

EEZ’s were brought in under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and it gives states the right to explore, exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources in that area.

That means, despite having virtually no navy, Kiribati commands more of the world’s ocean than 11 of the G20 nations, including China, India, Mexico, and South Korea, South Africa and Turkey.

Controlling such vast swathes of sea means Kiribati is able to direct how the wildlife there is managed and protected, and crucially how economic resources are exploited. This is vital for a country that relies so heavily on fishing.

In 2006, the Kiribati government created the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, which covered an area the size of California. From 2015, a “not take” zone prohibiting commerical fishing was introduced in the area.

However in 2021, the government decided to open the area up again to boost its economy.

In a statement, the government said: “Similar to any Government, our decisions, as we make them, put the livelihoods of our people at the fore and have been carefully considered and agreed to as a Government.

“Our decision as a sovereign country and Government is people-centric and commensurate with holistic options for marine protection and management, economic diversification, sustainable tourism and fisheries, to promote the growth of Kiribati’s blue economy, and uplift the lives of all I-Kiribati.”