Gilbert and Ellice Islands Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a British protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 until 1 January 1976, when the islands were divided into two colonies which became independent nations shortly after. A referendum was held in December 1974 to determine whether the Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands should each have their own administration. As a consequence of the referendum, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony ceased to exist on 1 January 1976 and the separate countries of Kiribati and Tuvalu came into existence. The Gilbert Islands (formerly "Kingsmill Islands") are a chain of sixteen
Telecommunications in the United States Virgin Islands treated as domestic, while multimedia messages (MMS) are unavailable for Verizon customers. Telephone system: Country code / area code +1-340 Radio broadcast stations: 24 radio stations broadcasting (2009) Radios: 107,000 (2003) Television broadcast stations: about a dozen television broadcast stations including 1 public TV station; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available (2009) Televisions: 68,000 (1997) The U.S. Virgin Islands' country code top-level domain is .vi. Internet hosts: 8,933 (2010) Internet users: 30,000 (2008) Locally owned and operated Internet Service Provider: SM@RTNET www.smartnet.vi Providing Internet service via fixed wireless and Fiber Optics. Telecommunications in the United States Virgin Islands