The Republic of Kiribati, comprising 33 atolls and reef islands, is unique in having the largest Pacific atoll population and the largest concentration of urban dwellers in the Pacific atoll groups. Because of uneven distribution, this population is severely taxing the environment, particularly on Tarawa Atoll. The island nation is attempting to strike a balance between modem aspirations and the need to develop limited resources in a sustainable way. The challenges of small size, remoteness, geographical dispersion, vulnerability to drought, and a highly limited internal market are of significance to the human ecology. While Kiribati benefits from aid and remittances and from other rent opportunities, including fishing licenses and income derived from the Revenue Equalization Fund (a legacy of phosphate mining on Banaba), it is also aiming to further develop its fisheries and, to a lesser degree, diversify local agricultural production in the hope of achieving greater economic independence and improve local nutrition. Future development of the primary sector cannot be divorced from wider concerns such as improvements in transport and storage infrastructure, resource management, pollution, coastal erosion, water quality control, renewable energy production, family planning, and global warming.