1974 Ellice Islands self-determination referendum 1974 Ellice Islands self-determination referendum A referendum on separating from the Gilbert Islands was held in the Ellice Islands (then administered together as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands) between July and September 1974. A rolling ballot was used, starting in July in Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands before being taken to each resident of the Ellice Islands. The result was 92.8% of voters in favour of separation. In October the following year the islands were officially separated, and four years after the referendum, the islands became the independent nation of Tuvalu, whilst the Gilbert Islands became Kiribati. Voter turnout was
High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was an official who ruled the American Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a United Nations trusteeship in the Pacific Ocean under the administration of the United States, between 1947 and 1994. The territory consisted of islands captured by America during World War II, prior to which they had been part of the Empire of Japan as the South Pacific Mandate. After World War II, the United Nations placed the territory under the United States trusteeship as the Trust