Abaiang, Coral atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati

Abaiang is a coral atoll in the northern Gilbert Islands, made up of about 11 islets around a lagoon of roughly 74 km². The main island, Teiro, runs some 37 km along the eastern rim and holds 16 of the atoll's 18 villages. The lagoon opens to the Pacific through Bingham Channel in the southwest, between Teiro and the small islet of Teirio.

Thomas Gilbert of the ship Charlotte documented the atoll in 1788 and named it Matthew's Island, later corrupted to Charlotte Island. On 16 November 1857 Hiram Bingham II of the American Board landed at Koinawa with his wife, the Hawaiian pastor Joel Hulu Mahoe and his wife, beginning Protestant mission work in the Gilberts; a memorial was placed there in 1957. Japan occupied the atoll from December 1941 to November 1943, after which the U.S. military used it as a staging base.

Residents speak Gilbertese and maintain traditional fishing methods that shape daily life and food sources. These practices connect people to the ocean and remain central to their way of living.

The atoll is best reached by air, as ferry connections are limited and irregular. Weather conditions can change quickly in the tropics, so planning around the dry season is advisable.

In Tebunginako, storm surges and spring tides eroded the coast until the village was abandoned and rebuilt inland under the same name. The remains of about 100 thatched homes and a maneabe, the community meeting hall, now lie up to 30 metres offshore.