TarawaCapital
Kiribati · Country profile
South Tarawa is the low-lying capital of Kiribati, the crowded chain of the coral islets of the central Pacific that strings the government buildings, the port, the schools and the packed villages of the nation along the causeways of the great atoll, where the ocean meets the lagoon on a ribbon of land barely a kilometre wide. The seat of the government of the island republic since the colonial era and the capital of the independent nation since 1979, it concentrates the life of a whole many-island country on one narrow spine of coral, with the parliament, the state house, the cathedral and the markets sitting moments from the beach. The causeways and the lagoon, the parliament and the wartime relics, the craft markets of the town and the magnificent outer islets of the atoll anchor the essential visits. Warm, exposed and endlessly maritime, Tarawa is the slender beating heart of the rising sea-facing nation of the islands.
About Tarawa
Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati. The city's documented population is around 63,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Australian Dollar (AUD) and English and Gilbertese are spoken; the dialling code is +686.
The Parliament of the Atoll and the Road of the Causeways
The capital spreads along a single narrow road that strings the islets of the south of the atoll, so the days move between the foreshores, the causeways and the small built-up centres of the ribbon of land. The parliament building of the nation with its distinctive shape, the ministries and the memorials and the relics of the great battle of the lagoon anchor the historical stops, while the markets and the open chapels of the villages carry the everyday Kiribati life. The lagoon with its turquoise shallows and its wrecks, and the outlying islands of the atoll and the outer archipelago, reached by the island boats, hold the swimming, the surfing and the escapes beyond the crowded spine.
The Relics of the Battle and the Lagoon of the Wrecks
The climate is the hot, humid equatorial of the central Pacific, with the heavy rains of the wet season, the periodic dry spells and the constant trade-wind breeze of the year, while the sea level threat of the rising ocean frames the future of the low nation. The Australian dollar is the currency, the local language and the English the tongues of the country. The capital works best with the simple services of the single main road, and most travellers come for the islands, the diving and the wartime sites with a stop in the capital. Light clothing, sun protection, modest dress for the villages and cash complete the essential kit.
The Markets of the Town and the Islands of the Outer
The parliament of the nation, the striking meeting-house style parliamentary building with its high roof that stands by the lagoon, is the spiritual and the architectural centre of the modern state where the members of the three island groups gather, while the state house and the ministries of the government line the planted avenues of the capital strip. The great battle of the war, one of the bloodiest landings of the Pacific, left the lagoon scattered with the wrecks and the memorials, and the historic sites and the abandoned guns of the atoll anchor the sober wartime visits. The craft markets of the town, the football and the Sunday church choirs of the packed villages, and the extraordinary outer islands of the atoll and the archipelago, with their surf passes and their islet villages, complete the rich low world of the Kiribati capital. As the thin, proud spine of one of the most exposed nations on earth, Tarawa lives with a rare combination of the ordinary and the extraordinary.
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- Country
- Kiribati
- Population
- 63,000
- Capital
- Tarawa
- Region
- Oceania
- Currency
- Australian Dollar (AUD)
- Languages
- English, Gilbertese
- Calling code
- +686
- Country code
- KI
Frequently asked questions
Is Tarawa the capital of Kiribati?
Yes — Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati.
What currency do I need in Tarawa?
The local currency is the Australian Dollar (AUD). Languages spoken in Kiribati include English and Gilbertese.
What is the dialling code for Kiribati?
The international dialling code for Kiribati is +686.
Flying out of Tarawa? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.