[4] Geochemical analysis of stone tools provides a clear window into trade networks that existed throughout Polynesia and in the case of Tabuaeran, a positive match was made with a quarry located in Eiao, Marquesas.

[9] Captain William Wiseman of HMS Caroline formally annexed Fanning to Great Britain on 15 March 1888.

An airfield was constructed on Napari (Napali) islet when the University of Hawaii operated a tide monitoring station on the atoll.

Tabuaeran had a population of 1,960 at the 2010 census,[2] principally Gilbertese settlers brought from the main Kiribati archipelago by Fanning Island Plantations, Ltd., to work in the copra industry.

The population declined from 2,539 at the 2005 census following the closure of the secondary school (since reopened), cessation of visits by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), and reduced operations by Atoll Seaweed Company.

[2] Eight villages are listed in the 2015 census: The main diet is imported rice and tinned meats, supplemented by local foods: reef fish and shellfish, babai (Cyrtosperma merkusii), coconut, pigs, chickens, and seaweed (limu).

[2] Major exports are copra and hand crafts (including cowrie shell, shark tooth knives, and Kiribati stamps).

[13] The main health centre is located at Paelau in the west, with additional clinics on Napari (Napali) islet in the north and Kimarimari in the south.

NCL ceased visits after introducing US-flagged ships, changing cruise schedules, and eliminating Tabuaeran as a port of call.

[16] Tabuaeran features in John Updike's short story "The Blessed Man of Boston, My Grandmother's Thimble, and Fanning Island."