coral atoll of the Gilbert Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Located in the northern Gilberts, it comprises a central lagoon (11 miles 【18 km】 wide) ringed by islets. The lagoon provides a good deep anchorage with three passages to the open sea. Most of the population lives on two main islets, Butaritari and Kuma. The first European record of Butaritari was in 1606 by the Spanish explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós, who named it Buen Viaje (“Good Journey”). Occupied by Japanese forces from 1941 to 1943, the atoll served as an Allied air and naval base for the last two years of World War II. The main village and port is on the islet of Butaritari. Copra is exported. Total land area 5.2 square miles (13.5 square km). Pop. (2005 prelim.) 3,280.