Paris, Kiribati
Paris is an abandoned settlement on the island of Kiritimati, in Kiribati.[1]
Paris | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Paris | |
| Coordinates: 1°55′34.22″N 157°29′19.06″W | |
| Country |  Kiribati |
| Local council | Kiritimati |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC+14 |
Name
It was named after the city of Paris, France. It is one of the settlements on the island to be named after European places, along with nearby London and Poland.
History
It was the home of Father Emmanuel Rougier, a French priest who leased the island from 1917 to 1939 and planted thousands of coconut trees there.[2]
The remains of the former village are located at Benson Point, near the southern entrance to the large lagoon which dominates the western half of the island. Though only a short distance from London, the principal settlement on Kiritimati, the lagoon and its entrance channels actually place it a long distance away from present-day habitation. Also, as there is no good anchorage at the southern lagoon entrance, this relative lack of easy access probably led to the village being abandoned in favor of London.
References
- "Vol 1: Basic Information and Tables. Part B: Personal (Population) Tables. Table 3: Population by Village, Sex and Age Group" (PDF). Report on the Kiribati 2015 Census of Population and Housing (Report). 2015. S. 50. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- Boulagnon, Paul (2003). Emmanuel Rougier: des Isles d'Auvergne à l'Océanie (Fidji, Tahiti, Christmas Island).