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.
A tropical islet with palm fronds oriented in the direction of the prevailing winds.
Japanese World War II defences on Tarawa
An atoll is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most of the approximately 440 atolls in the world are in the Pacific Ocean.
The atoll of Tetiꞌaroa in French Polynesia
Penrhyn atoll
NASA satellite image of some of the atolls of the Maldives, which consists of 1,322 islands arranged into 26 atolls
Nukuoro from space. Courtesy NASA