Kiribati
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
37.3km²
Area
26km
Coastline
10m
Highest point
0
People
29°C
Warmest sea
May
5,656km
To the mainland
When to go to Malden Island
Best for the beach from August to December.
The sea is warmest in May (29 °C) and coolest in February (28 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the central Pacific Ocean
Malden Island is an island in Kiribati. It belongs to Line Islands. It covers 37.3 km², with 26 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 10 m. Nobody lives on it. The nearest mainland is 5,656 km away.
Getting there
- 5,656 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From August to Decemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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Cross-checked with our atlases
Malden Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Malden Island, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
28.7°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 2 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 45 | 45 | 56 | 72 | 45 | 41 | 26 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 15 | 21 |
| Wet days | 8 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Sun h/day | 10.0 | 9.8 | 9.4 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 10.2 |
| Wind (km/h) | 24 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 24 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.3 | −0.8 | −1.1 | −1.0 | −0.8 |
| 2021 | −0.9 | −0.9 | −0.5 | −0.1 | −0.5 | −0.3 | −0.3 | −0.4 | −0.6 | −1.0 | −0.6 | −1.3 |
| 2022 | −1.2 | −0.7 | −1.1 | −1.3 | −1.2 | −1.1 | −1.0 | −1.0 | −1.0 | −1.3 | −1.1 | −1.0 |
| 2023 | −1.0 | −0.7 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +1.5 | +1.6 |
| 2024 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.4 |
| 2025 | −0.8 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.3 | −0.6 | −0.7 | −0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q532590) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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