50 Dollars The New Millennium

Kiribati adopted its constitution and gained independence from Britain on July 12, 1979 — the same date the Phoenix and Line Islands were formally incorporated, making it one of the few nations whose territory spans both hemispheres and, as of 2000, the only country to exist in all four hemispheres simultaneously. That geographic quirk meant Kiribati was officially the first nation to enter the year 2000, a distinction the government actively leveraged for commemorative coinage revenue, which remains a significant source of income for an island economy with few alternatives.