South Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, Kiribati

🇰🇮 South Tarawa (Tarawa Teinainano) 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.

South Tarawa is home to most of the government, commercial and education facilities in Kiribati including 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 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.

Administration At the local government level, South Tarawa has two administrative subdivisions, created by John Hilary Smith in 1972: • Betio Town Council (or BTC) on Betio • Teinainano Urban Council  (or TUC), from Bairiki to Tanaea (the meaning of teinainano is "down of the mast", alluding to the sail-shape of the atoll)

Buota, which is part of North Tarawa and administered by the Eutan Tarawa Council (or ETC), is linked by road to South Tarawa and is experiencing many similar issues of rapid population growth, urbanisation and environmental degradation.

Geography 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 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).

Population At 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 north-eastern end of the island, Tanaea, to its south-western end at Betio.

Buota in North Tarawa is connected to the South Tarawa main road and is also growing rapidly.