Where on earth does the sun rise first, the correct answer is not Japan, 99 percent people would not know the name of this country

Japan is located to the east of China, so the Chinese historically called it the Land of the Rising Sun. This name over time became an important part of Japan’s cultural identity. This is why most people understand that the sun rises first in Japan.

Japan is often said to be the country with the first sunrise, but this is not entirely true. Due to the Earth’s rotation, islands in the Pacific Ocean actually see the sunrise first. Very few of us know where the Sun first appears.

The country with the first sunrise in the world is Kiribati located in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most remote and lonely countries. There are 33 coral reefs spread over an area of ​​more than 35 lakh square kilometers on this island. Interestingly, Kiribati is located on both the Equator and the International Date Line. Its easternmost point, Millennium Island, is the first place in the world where sunrise occurs every day.

What is also interesting is that before 1995, the International Date Line passed through the middle of Kiribati. Because of this, the islands in the western part of the country were one day ahead of the eastern part, which created administrative confusion. To solve this problem, the Kiribati government moved the date line eastward in 1995, bringing the entire country under the same date. This historical change made Kiribati the first country in the world where a new day began to rise.

Then, why is Japan called the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’? The answer lies not in geography but in history. Because Japan is located to the east of China, the Chinese historically called it the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’. Thus, the name Japan reflects its cultural identity.

Kiribati is a beautiful country, but it is one of the most vulnerable to climate change. Due to rising sea level, this island, which is only two meters high, is in danger of being submerged.