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Tarawa Atoll
 
 
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Tarawa is an atoll
Atoll

An atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely....
 in the central Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
, previously the capital of the former British
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Gilbert and Ellice Islands

The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a United Kingdom protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 until 1 January 1976 when the islands were divided into two different colonies which became independent nations shortly after....
. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati
Kiribati

Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
, South Tarawa
South Tarawa

South Tarawa is the official Capital of the Republic of Kiribati on Tarawa Atoll Atoll. The meaning of Teinainano is "down of the mast", alluding to the sail-shape of the atoll....
. The island is known by outsiders as being the site of the Battle of Tarawa
Battle of Tarawa

The Battle of Tarawa was a battle in the Pacific War of World War II, largely fought from November 20 to November 23, 1943. It was the second time the United States was on the offensive , and the first offensive in the critical central Pacific region....
 during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
.

wa consists of around 24 larger islets, of which at least 8 are inhabited.






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Tarawa Map W
Tarawa is an atoll
Atoll

An atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely....
 in the central Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
, previously the capital of the former British
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Gilbert and Ellice Islands

The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a United Kingdom protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 until 1 January 1976 when the islands were divided into two different colonies which became independent nations shortly after....
. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati
Kiribati

Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
, South Tarawa
South Tarawa

South Tarawa is the official Capital of the Republic of Kiribati on Tarawa Atoll Atoll. The meaning of Teinainano is "down of the mast", alluding to the sail-shape of the atoll....
. The island is known by outsiders as being the site of the Battle of Tarawa
Battle of Tarawa

The Battle of Tarawa was a battle in the Pacific War of World War II, largely fought from November 20 to November 23, 1943. It was the second time the United States was on the offensive , and the first offensive in the critical central Pacific region....
 during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
.

Geography

Tarawa Maiana Sts088 707 6
Tarawa consists of around 24 larger islets, of which at least 8 are inhabited. The largest islet (South Tarawa
South Tarawa

South Tarawa is the official Capital of the Republic of Kiribati on Tarawa Atoll Atoll. The meaning of Teinainano is "down of the mast", alluding to the sail-shape of the atoll....
) extends from Bonriki (southeast corner of the atoll) along the entire south side but Betio
Betio

Betio is an island at the extreme southwest of South Tarawa in Kiribati. The main port of Tarawa Atoll is located there.The island is most well known as the scene of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II....
 of the lagoon to Bairiki. A causeway now connects Bairiki to Betio (Japanese causeway). The largest town, Bikenibeu, and the only airport on Tarawa, Bonriki International Airport
Bonriki International Airport

File:Bonriki International Airport.jpgFile:Air Kiribati.jpgBonriki International Airport is an airport located in South Tarawa, Kiribati.The airport is the hub of the national airline, Air Kiribati, which operates flights to seven destinations in the Gilbert Islands....
, are on South Tarawa. Tarawa is located at approximately latitude 1°22'47" N, longitude 173°09'06" E (Bonriki Airport).

Islets

  • Abanuea (submerged since 1999 due to changing ocean currents)
  • Abaokoro
    Abaokoro

    Abaokoro is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located about nine nautical miles from Tarawa....
  • Abatao
    Abatao

    Abatao is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located about two nautical miles from Tarawa....
  • Bairiki
    South Tarawa

    South Tarawa is the official Capital of the Republic of Kiribati on Tarawa Atoll Atoll. The meaning of Teinainano is "down of the mast", alluding to the sail-shape of the atoll....
  • Betio
    Betio

    Betio is an island at the extreme southwest of South Tarawa in Kiribati. The main port of Tarawa Atoll is located there.The island is most well known as the scene of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II....
  • Bikeman Island
    Bikeman Island

    Bikeman Island is a submerged islet about a half-hours canoe ride Southeast of Betio, Kiribati. Due to changing currents and the construction of a causeway between Betio and South Tarawa, Bikeman has been submerged since the early 1990s....
     (now submerged due to changing ocean currents)
  • Biketawa
    Biketawa

    Biketawa is one of the twenty-four small islets which comprises the atoll of Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati. The capital of Kiribati, South Tarawa, is located on Tarawa....
  • Bonriki
  • Buariki
    Buariki (Tarawa)

    Buariki is an island in northern Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands of the Kiribati and was the site of the World War II Battle of Buariki....
    Tarawa Map

Towns and villages

  • Abatao
    Abatao

    Abatao is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located about two nautical miles from Tarawa....
  • Bairiki
    South Tarawa

    South Tarawa is the official Capital of the Republic of Kiribati on Tarawa Atoll Atoll. The meaning of Teinainano is "down of the mast", alluding to the sail-shape of the atoll....
  • Bikenibeu
    Bikenibeu

    Bikenibeu is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located about two nautical miles from Tarawa.Landmarks*Te Umanibong -Cultural Museum...
  • Bonriki
  • Buariki
  • Buota
  • Eita, Tarawa
    Eita

    is a Japanese people actor from Tokyo, Japan. His given name is . He has appeared in many Japanese TV dramas and movies; most notable is the TV series Water Boys....
  • Marenanuka
  • Taborio
  • Teaoraereke


Demographics

The population (as of 1990) was 28,802. The population is mostly Gilbertese (Micronesia
Micronesia

Micronesia , from the Greek language mikros and nesos , is a subregion of Oceania, comprising hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean....
n). This probably exceeds the carrying capacity
Carrying capacity

The supportable population of an organism, given the food, habitat, drinking water and other necessities available within an environment is known as the environment's carrying capacity for that organism....
 of the islands and is maintained at its current level without starvation principally due to foreign aid, largely from New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
.

Government administration

Tarawa atoll has three administrative subdivisions:
  • Teinainano Urban Council (or TUC), from Bairiki to Bonriki, known in English as South Tarawa
    South Tarawa

    South Tarawa is the official Capital of the Republic of Kiribati on Tarawa Atoll Atoll. The meaning of Teinainano is "down of the mast", alluding to the sail-shape of the atoll....
    , the capital of the Republic of Kiribati;
  • Betio Town Council (or BTC), on Betio Islet;
  • North Tarawa or Tarawa Ieta (all the islets on the east side north of Bonriki).


The main administrative centre for the Republic of Kiribati is located at Bairiki on South Tarawa. The Parliament meets on Ambo islet and some administration offices are on Betio Islet and in Bikenibeu and one is located on Kiritimati
Kiritimati

Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands and part of the Kiribati.The island has the greatest land area of any coral atoll in the world: about ; its lagoon is about the same size....
.

History

Battle Tarawa
During World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, Tarawa was occupied by the Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese, and starting on November 20, 1943 it was the scene of the bloody Battle of Tarawa
Battle of Tarawa

The Battle of Tarawa was a battle in the Pacific War of World War II, largely fought from November 20 to November 23, 1943. It was the second time the United States was on the offensive , and the first offensive in the critical central Pacific region....
. On that day United States Marines landed on Tarawa and suffered heavy losses from Japanese soldiers occupying entrenched positions on the atoll. The Marines secured the island after three days of intense fighting.

Economy

Betio
Betio

Betio is an island at the extreme southwest of South Tarawa in Kiribati. The main port of Tarawa Atoll is located there.The island is most well known as the scene of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II....
 Islet includes the main port through which copra
Copra

Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam language word kopra for dried coconut....
 and pearl
Pearl

A pearl is a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue of a living animal shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of mollusks, a pearl is made up of of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers....
 shell are exported.

The currency of Kiribati
Kiribati

Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
 is the Australian dollar
Australian dollar

The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Islandss of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu....
.

Miscellaneous

USS Tarawa
USS Tarawa (LHA-1)

USS Tarawa is a United States Navy amphibious assault ship, the lead ship of Tarawa class amphibious assault ship, and the second ship to be named for Tarawa Atoll, site of a Battle of Tarawa during World War II....
 is the name of the first LHA
LHA (hull classification symbol)

LHA, for Landing Helicopter Assault, is the US Navy hull classification symbol for the general purpose helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ships of the Tarawa class amphibious assault ship and the future America class amphibious assault ship classes....
-class amphibious assault ship.

Tarawa is the site of a teachers' training college and a marine training school, as well as an international airport.

The book The Sex Lives of Cannibals
The Sex Lives of Cannibals

The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific is a 2004 in literature Travel literature by author J. Maarten Troost describing the two years he and his girlfriend spent living on the Tarawa Atoll atoll in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati....
 by J. Maarten Troost
J. Maarten Troost

'J. Maarten Troost' is the author of three travel books about his experiences in the Pacific Islands and 3-month trip to China. Troost writes about the part of his life spent in the South Pacific in Getting Stoned with Savages and The Sex Lives of Cannibals -- and one on a trip to China: Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True S...
 is a humorous account of the author's two years living on Tarawa.

Tarawa is the site of the 1944 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is an United States award regarded as the highest national honor in newspaper journalism, literary achievements and musical composition....
 winning photograph depicting a blown-up bunker
Bunker

A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks....
 by Frank Filan.

The book Return to Mars by Ben Bova
Ben Bova

Benjamin William Bova is an American science fiction author and editor....
 uses Tarawa as mission control for an expedition to Mars.

External links