Talk:Line Islands

Enzino- I do not think it is helpful to change these names from Fanning Atoll to Fanning Island. For example, Christmas Island is an island in the Indian Ocean, Christmas Atoll is the one in Kiribati. Of course, one may often see these places called "Christmas Island" or "Fanning Island", but the trend in geography is to name atolls as atolls. - Marshman 22:42, 10 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Trend? Trendy?

I do not think so. I have lived on Christmas Island recently, and no one says Christmas Atoll for naming it. Of course, it is an atoll (and the biggest and oldest in the world). It is also bigger than the other Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) and many more people live there. The official name, put in the Kiribati constitution (12th July 1979) is Christmas Island (or Kiritimati). For the Gilbertese these two names are the same. For the same reason, Fanning and Washington are called islands and not atolls. And most of the people there, even when they speak in Gilbertese, call them Fanning Island or Washington Island (the Gilbertese names are not very comon, even official with English names). There are two Christmas Islands in the world and that is not a problem for Wikipedia. --Enzino 10:19, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I disagree. They are islands, but a type of island called an atoll. But if you want to not pass on anything of geography and just use "island" not much more I can say. Obviously if you think the English name is used more than the Kiribati name, then change that too. I'm no longer interested in trying to take Wikipedia anywhere. - Marshman 16:58, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I have not the power of changing names. And I totally agree with you : these are atoll islands, not simply islands. But nowhere you will see, as a name, Christmas Atoll. Its name is Christmas Island, or Kiritimati (rare). As written in the constitution. I cannot change a constitution. --Enzino 18:39, 21 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Origin of the name

By any chance, are the Line Islands named after the International Date Line? Thanks in advance.