
Tarawa Atoll, Kiribati: aerial view from the eastern end (Bikenibeu, Bonriki) with the south on the left and north on the right, surrounded by the coral reef barrier - Tarawa is an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, the most populous archipelago in Kiribati. Tarawa is the former capital of the British colony of Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Part of the atoll is occupied by the country's capital, South Tarawa. Tarawa has a largely Micronesian population. During World War II, Tarawa was occupied by the Japanese Empire and in 1943 it was the site of the bloody Battle of Tarawa.


























































