The natural landscape of Kiribati is in the form of beautiful flat & low lying atolls and coral islands consisting of sand and reef rock. The majority of the islands seldom rise 3 metres above sea level except for Banaba Island (Ocean Island) which rises to 81 metres (266 ft) high above sea level, the highest island and elevated point in Kiribati.

Most of the islands feature fringing reefs and lagoons, and others have no lagoons. Similar to Islands in the Pacific, Kiribati has sandy white beaches with lush coconut palms and tropical vegetation. The inhabited islands are divided into municipalities and villages. For most of the islands except South Tarawa, the manner in which the people have arranged over the landscape varies from disbursed settlement to neatly clustered, but not overcrowded, villages.