London (Gilbertese: Ronton; historically: Londres) is a village in Kiribati, located on the island of Kiritimati, within the archipelago of Line Islands. It is the administrative capital of Kiritimati.

Name

London was originally named Londres by French priest Emmanuel Rougier, who was leasing the island from Britain from 1917 to 1939, and wanted to honor the island's British connection. In 1939, the island reverted to Britain and Londres was anglicised to London. Its local name, Ronton, is derived from "London" written in Gilbertese according to its phonology.

Demographics

In 2010, London was inhabited by 1,879 people, making it the second most populous of the four villages on the island. The great majority of the population of Kiritimati as of 1989 lived in the Banana, London, or Poland villages.

Infrastructure

The headquarters of the Ministry of Line and Phoenix Islands Development is located in London. The Port of London is Kiritimati's major port.

Climate