Which country is the only one that lies in all four hemispheres?

Kiribati is the only country whose territory lies in all four hemispheres. Its widely scattered islands extend across both sides of the Equator and both sides of the 180th meridian.

The country consists of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, Banaba, grouped into the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands. The Line Islands stretch far to the east, while Banaba and the Gilbert Islands lie much farther west, allowing Kiribati to cross the boundary between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Kiribati also spans the Northern and Southern Hemispheres because some islands lie north of the Equator and others lie south of it. Its total land area is only about 811 square kilometres, but its islands are dispersed across a huge area of the central Pacific Ocean.

A related curiosity is the International Date Line. In 1995, Kiribati shifted the line around its eastern islands so the country could share the same calendar date. That adjustment helped make its eastern islands among the first inhabited places to begin a new day.