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.