Kiribati became the first country to celebrate New Year's Day after shifting its eastern islands across the International Date Line in 1995.
Kiribati consists of island groups spread across a huge area of the central Pacific. Before the change, the Phoenix and Line Islands were separated from the Gilbert Islands by different calendar dates, creating practical problems for government, travel, and communication within one country.
Kiribati changed its time-zone arrangement in 1994, with the new system taking effect on January 1, 1995. The Line Islands were placed on the western side of the International Date Line, putting the whole country on the same calendar day. The decision also gave Kiribati a claim to being among the first places to enter each new year.
Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, in the Line Islands is especially associated with this distinction. The island's name can be confusing: it is the Kiribati spelling of “Christmas,” not a separate country. Samoa made a similar date-line change in 2011.