RI Welcomes new country

Last August, Rotary International welcomed a new country to the family. The Line Islands of the Republic of Kiribati was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Commerce City, Colorado as its World Community Service project. (One of their members had been a frequent vacationer) Rotary is represented in more than 200 countries. So here's today's quiz: where is the Republic of Kiribati and what was its former name?