38-466: 1°36′00″N 173°00′00″W / 1.60000°N 173.00000°W / 1.60000; -173.00000 Buota is an islet and a settlement on the island of Tarawa , Kiribati . There are 1,756 inhabitants (2015). The islet is the southernmost part of North Tarawa even if there is a bridge connecting it to Bonriki and South Tarawa . This Kiribati location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tarawa Tarawa
76-647: A serious problem; in 2010 only 34% of urban adults (over 15) were engaged in cash work; the remaining two-thirds are either out of the labour force, unemployed or engaged in subsistence activities. Young people are especially likely to be unemployed. Currently there is one government high school, King George V and Elaine Bernacchi School in Bikenibeu . There are also several private Christian high schools: Fiji Airways flies to Bonriki International Airport on South Tarawa from Nadi , on Mondays and Thursdays. Solomon Airlines flies to Honiara and Brisbane at least once
114-415: A sleeping mat twenty-five years later, described the situation: "In those days death was on the right hand and on the left. If we wandered north, we were killed or raped. If we wandered south, we were killed or raped. If we returned alive from walking abroad, our husbands themselves killed us, for they said that we had gone forth seeking to be raped. That was indeed just, for a woman who disobeys her husband
152-573: Is a Tropical rainforest climate (Koppen: Af) which is warm and humid all year round and average rainfalls are relatively high. However, rainfall is very unpredictable, varying with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation , and South Tarawa can go for many months with almost no rain during La Niña cycles. The hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in South Tarawa are 35 °C (95 °F) and 21 °C (70 °F), respectively, which
190-468: Is a concern to the government and to Kiribati's aid partners. Anote Tong 's administration aims to ease the problem in the country's main urban centre by encouraging people to stay and to resettle in outer islands. It has invested in facilities such as the South Kiribati Hospital to spread institutions and services out around the islands and relieve South Tarawa from overcrowding. South Tarawa
228-543: Is a woman of no account, and it matters not how she dies. Yet how beautiful is life in our villages, now that there is no killing and war is no more... Behold my son and my grandson! These would have died with me that day at Nea if the warship had not arrived. And these"-she pointed out her great and great-great-grandchildren-"would never have been born. We live because the Government of Kuini Kabitoria brought peace to us, and here I sit plaiting this mat to be buried in because of
266-635: 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 . Tarawa
304-567: Is an old Gilbertese form for Te Rawa , meaning "The Passage" (of the Lagoon), named for the unusual large ship channel to the lagoon. In the popular etymology based on Kiribati mythology , Nareau , the God-spider, distinguished Karawa , the sky, from Marawa , the Sea, from Tarawa , the land. Tarawa has a large lagoon , 500 square kilometres (193 square miles) in total area, and a wide reef. The lagoon
342-879: Is based in Teaoraereke, the Kiribati Uniting Church in Antebuka, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Kiribati in Bikenibeu , and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Eita . At the local government level, South Tarawa has two administrative subdivisions, created by John Hilary Smith in 1972: Buota , which is part of North Tarawa and administered by the Eutan Tarawa Council (or ETC),
380-548: Is linked by road to South Tarawa and is experiencing many similar issues of rapid population growth, urbanisation and environmental degradation . South Tarawa is a string of islets on the atoll of Tarawa , between the Tarawa Lagoon to the north, with a maximum depth of 25 metres (82 ft), and the Pacific Ocean to the south, with a depth of up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). The island has been built from sediments from
418-416: Is officially recorded as 3,896 acres (1,577 ha) or 15.76 square km. Much of this land is not available for use, including the water reserve and runway, the causeways, and a large area of reclaimed land at Temwaiku, the eastern corner of the atoll, which is too swampy and low-lying. If these areas are excluded, the land area of South Tarawa is only just over 1,000 hectares (10 square km or 2,500 acres) and
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#1733116352938456-577: Is one of the narrowest temperature ranges in the world. South Tarawa has very limited water resources for its rapidly growing population. During the frequent droughts, the only source of water is the shallow freshwater lens that permeates the coral rock of the atoll. The water lenses at Bonriki and Buota have been declared as water reserves, and have a combined sustainable yield of 1,300 m per day. Other previously declared water reserves have been relinquished for urbanisation or abandoned due to overpumping and pollution from human settlement. Water from
494-514: Is required to protect many of the sites eroded on South Tarawa including islets that once were protected with mangrove and iron-wood (tengea) trees. It is unclear how much of the erosion being experienced on South Tarawa is due to sea-level rise and how much is due to human activities (such as building inappropriate seawalls and mining sand and gravel from the beaches and foreshores). Coastal erosion will accelerate in future, due to climate change related sea level rise . The land area of South Tarawa
532-484: Is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonriki and Tanaea in the north-east, connected by the South Tarawa main road, with a population of 63,439 as of 2020 . South Tarawa is home to most of the government, commercial and education facilities in Kiribati including
570-542: Is the economic hub of Kiribati, the location of the main port and airport and of most of the state-owned enterprises and private businesses. Copra produced on the outer islands is processed on Betio , producing copra oil for the international market and other products which are sold locally. There is a fish processing plant producing tuna for export. Imports far outweigh exports, and most households on South Tarawa rely on government employment and remittances from relatives working overseas. Unemployment and underemployment are
608-414: Is widely open to the ocean, with a large ship pass. Although naturally abundant in fish and shellfish of all kinds, marine resources are being strained by the large and growing population. Drought is frequent, but in normal years rainfall is sufficient to maintain breadfruit , papaya and banana trees as well as coconut and pandanus . North Tarawa consists of a string of islets from Buariki in
646-476: The Bonriki and Buota reserves is distributed by a reticulated network to South Tarawa households. However, the poor condition of the network and the limited water supply mean that water can only be supplied to each village for around 2 hours every two days. Most schools and community buildings have no water supply at all, and many households rely on polluted groundwater due to the shortage of treated water. Because of
684-574: The Gilbertese) are still excellent seafarers, capable of making ocean crossings in locally made vessels using traditional navigation techniques. Thomas Gilbert , captain of the East India Company vessel Charlotte , was the first European to describe Tarawa, arriving on 20 June 1788. He did not land. He named it Matthew Island, after the owner of his ship Charlotte . He named the lagoon Charlotte Bay. Gilbert's 1788 sketches survive. The island
722-638: The Island. The Kiribati Government began a road restoration project funded in part by the World Bank in 2014 to re-surface the main road from Betio in the west to Bonriki in the east, upgrading the main road that transits Tarawa from a dirt road. As of 2018, all that remained to be completed of this project was the sealing of the Japanese Causeway, connecting Bairiki and Betio, done in 2019. South Tarawa South Tarawa ( Gilbertese : Tarawa Teinainano )
760-1125: The Port and the High Court at Betio, the State House, Government Ministries and foreign embassies and High Commissions in Bairiki , the University of the South Pacific campus in Teaoraereke , the House of Assembly in Ambo , the Kiribati Teacher College and King George V and Elaine Bernacchi School , the Government High School, is in Bikenibeu , and the Tungaru central hospital in Nawerewere. The Roman Catholic Diocese
798-579: The annual average is 3,000 mm (120 in) in the north and 500 mm (20 in) in the south of the Gilbert Islands. Most of these islands are in the dry belt of the equatorial oceanic climatic zone and experience prolonged droughts. Tarawa atoll has three administrative subdivisions: Betio Town Council (or BTC), on Betio Islet; Teinainano Urban Council [ it ] (or TUC), from Bairiki to Tanaea; and Eutan Tarawa Council (or ETC), for North Tarawa or Tarawa Ieta , consisting of all
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#1733116352938836-687: The atoll. The Marines captured the island after 76 hours of intense fighting that killed 6,000 people in total. The fierce fighting was the subject of a documentary film produced by the Combat Photographers of the Second Marine Division entitled With the Marines at Tarawa . It was released in March 1944 at the insistence of President Roosevelt . It became the first time many Americans viewed American servicemen dead on film. . The US built bases on
874-466: The high commissions of Australia and New Zealand. The United Nations are also present in Kiribati, including UNICEF , UNDP , UNFPA , UNOPS , UN Women , WHO and FAO . In Kiribati mythology, Tarawa was the earth when the land, ocean and sky had not been cleaved yet by Nareau the spider. Thus, after calling the sky karawa and the ocean marawa , he called the piece of rock that Riiki (another god that Nareau found) had stood upon when he lifted up
912-552: The island, Tanaea, to its southwestern end at Betio. Buota in North Tarawa is connected to the South Tarawa main road and is also growing rapidly. Tarawa island is central to Kiribati mythology and culture, but life on South Tarawa was little different to that on other islands before it was selected in 1895 as the seat of colonial government for the Protectorate of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands . From 1906 to 1942, Ocean Island
950-557: The islets on the east side from Buota northwards. The meaning of Te inainano in Gilbertese language is "down of the mast", alluding to the sail-shape of the atoll South Tarawa hosts the capital of the Republic of Kiribati and was also the central headquarters of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands since 1895. The House of Assembly is in Ambo, and the State House is in Bairiki . The offices of
988-522: The kindness of that woman, with all my generations around me to wrap me in it when I die." The aftermath of land claims and counter-claims between Auatubu and Teabike nevertheless caused high tension for years afterwards. Charles Richard Swayne , the first Resident Commissioner , decided to install the central headquarters of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands protectorate in Tarawa in 1895. Tarawa Post Office opened on 1 January 1911. Sir Arthur Grimble
1026-455: The lagoon. The process of soil accumulation is driven by the dominant easterly trade winds and can be reversed during extended periods of westerly winds during El Niño–Southern Oscillations . These islets are now joined by causeways, forming one long islet on the reef along the southern side of the Tarawa Lagoon. Most of South Tarawa is less than 3 metres (9.8 feet) above sea level with an average width of only 450 metres (1,480 feet). At
1064-473: The main centres of Betio , Bairiki and Bikenibeu there are large areas of land on long-term lease to the government. Without access to family lands or government housing, many South Tarawa residents have no choice but to become squatters; disputes over land are common. South Tarawa and especially Betio have high rates of respiratory infections, diarrhoea, and dysentery, all of which have been linked to overcrowding. Unsustainable development in South Tarawa
1102-406: The north to Buota in the south. The islets are separated in places by wide channels that are best crossed at low tide, and there is a ferry service between Buota and Abatao. Only Buota is connected by road to South Tarawa, via a bridge. On South Tarawa , the construction of causeways has now created a single strip of land from Betio in the west to Tanaea in the northeast. Previously, Benito,
1140-446: The population density of 49 people per hectare or 4,905 per square km is almost equal to the density of London (5,100 people per km ) and twice the density of Sydney or Auckland. Multi-story buildings are very uncommon on South Tarawa. The high population is accommodated through large household sizes, with an average of 7.3 people per household, on small land plots. Most land is owned by the original families or kain Tarawa , although in
1178-438: The shortage of fresh water, sanitation systems must use saltwater for flushing. The sanitation network on South Tarawa is performing very poorly, and a major project is underway to rehabilitate the system and improve sanitation and public hygiene. The Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development (MELAD) is involved in the replanting of mangroves in selected sites to help against coastal erosion; however, much more
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1216-493: The site of the battle of Tarawa , was only 291 acres in size. Tarawa features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification . The climate is pleasant from April to October, with predominant northeastern winds and stable temperatures close to 30 °C (86 °F). From November to March, western gales bring rain and occasional cyclones . Precipitation varies significantly between islands. For example,
1254-510: The sky as, Tarawa . Nareau then created the rest of the islands in Kiribati and also Samoa. Gilbertese arrived at these islands thousands of years ago, and there have been migrations to and from Gilbert Islands since antiquity. Evidence from a range of sources, including carbon dating and DNA analyses, confirms that the exploration of the Pacific included settlement of the Gilbert Islands by around 200 BC. The people of Tungaru (native name of
1292-414: The time of the 1978 Census, South Tarawa had a population of 17,921 with most residents living in the main population centres of Betio , Bairiki and Bikenibeu . Since Kiribati became independent in 1979, the population of South Tarawa has more than tripled, and now stands at 63,439 people (2020). All of South Tarawa is now urbanised and is effectively one continuous settlement from the northeastern end of
1330-417: The various ministries of the government range from Betio at the south-west extreme to Nawerewere (on an easterly island in its chain), close to Bonriki (International Airport) and Temwaiku . Settlements on North Tarawa include Buariki , Abaokoro , Marenanuka and Taborio . Four resident diplomatic missions exist: the embassies of China (closed in 2003, re-opened in 2020) and Japan (opened in 2023), and
1368-611: Was a cadet administrative officer based at Tarawa (1913–1919). He became Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony in 1926. During World War II , Tarawa was occupied by the Japanese , and beginning on 20 November 1943 it was the scene of the bloody Battle of Tarawa . On that day U.S. Marines landed on Tarawa and fought Japanese Marines of the Special Naval Landing Forces occupying entrenched positions on
1406-598: Was surveyed in 1841 by the US Exploring Expedition . For nine generations, the island was divided between two warring factions, the House of Auatubu and the House of Teabike, until in 1892 HMS Royalist (1883) arrived, with Captain Edward Davis proclaiming that the island was now a British Protectorate . This saved Auatubu from massacre; the day before, they had been badly defeated by Teabike. A very old lady, plaiting
1444-554: Was the headquarters of the colony, then Funafuti because of the Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands until 1946, when it returned to Tarawa. Betio was the location of the Battle of Tarawa . The highest point on South Tarawa is only a very few meters above sea level ( Eita , 3 metres), making the island extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. The effects of floods and associated soil salination are starting to threaten limited freshwater supplies. The climate in South Tarawa
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