Tarawa
Map of South Tarawa and North Tarawa within Tarawa Atoll | |
Map of the Gilbert Islands | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kiribati |
| Coordinates | 1°20′N 173°00′E / 1.333°N 173.000°E |
| Archipelago | Gilbert Islands |
| Area | 31.02 km2 (11.98 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Administration | |
Kiribati | |
| Island councils | Betio, North Tarawa, South Tarawa |
| Largest settlement | Betio |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 70,480 (2020) |
| Pop. density | 2,031.5/km2 (5261.6/sq mi) |
| Languages | Gilbertese |
| Ethnic groups | I-Kiribati (95.5%) |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, in the Micronesia region of the central Pacific Ocean. It comprises North Tarawa, which has 6,629 inhabitants and much in common with other more remote islands of the Gilbert group, and South Tarawa, which has 56,388 inhabitants as of 2015, half of the country's total population. The atoll was the site of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II.