Tarawa

Tarawa
/teuh rah"weuh, tar"euh wah', tah"rah wah'/, n.
one of the Gilbert Islands, in the central Pacific; capital, since 1979, of the independent nation of Kiribati: U.S. victory over Japanese forces after severe fighting, November, 1943. 19,000; 14 sq. mi. (36 sq. km).

* * *

Coral atoll (pop., 1995: 32,354), Gilbert Islands, Kiribati.

The site of Bairiki, the capital of Kiribati, Tarawa is made up of 15 islets along a reef 22 mi (35 km) long. Occupied by the Japanese during World War II, it was seized by U.S. Marines in 1943 after a costly battle. Now a commercial and educational centre, it exports copra and mother-of-pearl and has an extension of the University of the South Pacific. It was the capital of Gilbert and Ellice Islands until 1975.

* * *

 coral atoll of the Gilbert Islands and capital of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. It lies 2,800 miles (4,500 km) northeast of Australia and is the most populous atoll in the Gilberts. Tarawa consists of a lagoon fringed by a V-shaped reef 22 miles (35 km) long and made up of more than 30 islets. The atoll is a commercial and educational centre with port facilities on the South Tarawa islets of Betio, Bairiki, and Bikenibeu; an airport on Bonriki; and national government headquarters on Bairiki. There is also an extension centre of the University of the South Pacific on Bairiki. Copra and mother-of-pearl are exported, and there are light manufacturing facilities on Betio. Causeways connect the southern islets, but access between other parts of the atoll is by boat. The atoll was the scene of fierce fighting in 1943 during World War II, when U.S. Marines (United States Marine Corps, The) retook it from Japanese occupation forces. South Tarawa is one of the most densely populated areas in the Pacific. Total land area 12 square miles (31 square km). Pop. (2005 prelim.) 45,989.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tarawa — is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa. The island is known by outsiders as… …   Wikipedia

  • Tarawa — Image satellite de Tarawa. Géographie Pays …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Tarawa — (norte) y Maiana (sur) desde el espacio (1998). Tarawa es un atolón en el océano Pacífico central que fue la capital de la antigua colonia británica de las Islas Gilbert y Ellice. Tarawa Sur, la parte del sur del atolón, salvo Betio, es ahora la… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Tarawa — es un atolón en el Oceano Pacífico central que antiguamente era la capital de la antigua colonia bitánica de las Islas de Gilbert y Ellice. Tarawa del Sur, la parte del sur del atolón salvo Betio, es ahora la isla capital de la República de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Tarawa — Tarawa, eine der Gilbertinseln (s. d.) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Tarawa — Tarawa,   Hauptatoll der Gilbertinseln, Kiribati, im mittleren Pazifik; 15 Inseln mit einer Landfläche von zusammen 23 km2, 29 000 Einwohner; Hauptort ist Bairiki (Hauptstadt von Kiribati; 2 200 Einwohner) auf der gleichnamigen Insel, mit… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Tarawa — [tə rä′wə; tär′ə wə] coral atoll in the WC Pacific, near the equator: capital of Kiribati: 9 sq mi (23.3 sq km); pop. 25,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Tarawa — Vorlage:Infobox Insel/Wartung/Höhe fehlt Tarawa NASA Bild von Tarawa Gewässer Pazifischer Ozean Archipel …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Tarawa — Original name in latin Tarawa Name in other language Juzhnaja Tarava, South Tarawa, TRW, Tarawa, Tarawa Sud, Tarawa do Sul, Tarawa Sud, Zuid Tarawa, sauseutalawa, Южная Тарава State code KI Continent/City Pacific/Tarawa longitude 1.3278 latitude… …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Tarawa — Admin ASC 2 Code Orig. name Tarawa Country and Admin Code KI.01.TW KI …   World countries Adminstrative division ASC I-II

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”