 Map of North Tarawa | |
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  North Tarawa  North Tarawa  North Tarawa  North Tarawa | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 1°26′N173°00′E / 1.433°N 173.000°E /1.433; 173.000 (Tarawa) |
| Archipelago | Gilbert Islands |
| Area | 15.26 km2 (5.89 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 7,041 (2020 Census[1]) |
| Pop. density | 400/km2 (1000/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | I-Kiribati 99.7% |
| Official name | Nooto-North Tarawa |
| Designated | 4 March 2013 |
| Reference no. | 2143[2] |
North Tarawa (Gilbertese:Tarawa Ieta) is the string of islets in theRepublic of Kiribati, fromBuariki at the northern tip ofTarawa atoll toBuota in the South, with a combined population of 6,629 as of 2015[update]. It is administratively separate from neighbouringSouth Tarawa, and is governed by theEutan Tarawa Council (ETC), based atAbaokoro.
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North Tarawa has a land area of 15.26 km2. It is made up of several islets; the widest part of North Tarawa can be found in the village of Buariki and the narrowest width in the village of Tearinibai, next toBuariki.[3]
Buota was joined by a bridge toSouth Tarawa in 1995 and has since increased in population and is becoming more like part of urban South Tarawa. Abatao is not accessible by road, but the channel can be easily walked at low tide and there is a boat service at high tide. For people in Abatao and Buota, it is much easier to access schools, clinics and other services on South Tarawa than to travel to the Government Station inAbaokoro.[4]Apart from the bridge from Buota to Tanaea, small causeways connect the villages of Tebwangoroi and Taratai, Tebwangoroi and Nuatabu.[4] The erosion and accretion that are occurring along the shoreline is identified as being linked to aggregate mining, land reclamation and the construction of causeways that has been thought to change the currents along the shoreline.[5]
The atoll has a protected area that is designated as theNooto-North Tarawa Conservation Area.[6]
In the 1990s the uninhabited islands of Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea disappeared due to rising sea levels.[7][8][9][10][11]
Abaokoro accommodates the main service infrastructures such as the offices of Eutan Tarawa Council, the junior secondary school and the main medical centre. With the rapid growth of population in South Tarawa, people are choosing to settle in North Tarawa in greater numbers, especially in Abatao and Buota, the two villages closest to South Tarawa.[3]
There are 14 villages in North Tarawa. From North to South, the villages and their populations are:
| North Tarawa: Places and population | |||
| Village | 2000[12] | 2005[13] | 2010[14] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buariki | 533 | 597 | 703 |
| Tearinibai | 221 | 317 | 297 |
| Nuatabu | 183 | 199 | 197 |
| Tebwangaroi | 34 | 34 | 40 |
| Taratai | 179 | 203 | 151 |
| Nooto | 699 | 845 | 814 |
| Abaokoro | 248 | 294 | 262 |
| Marenanuka | 70 | 71 | 101 |
| Tabonibara | 227 | 300 | 363 |
| Kainaba | 149 | 219 | 266 |
| Nabeina | 297 | 414 | 435 |
| Tabiteuea | 342 | 391 | 505 |
| Abatao | 379 | 421 | 499 |
| Buota | 916 | 1,373 | 1,469 |
| North Tarawa total | 4,477 | 5,678 | 6,102 |
Tarawa was governed as one island, under a king, until Colonial times.[citation needed] The colonial administrative centre of Kiribati was originally located at Taratai in North Tarawa (where the last king used to live). The administrative centre was later moved toSouth Tarawa, which remains the capital ofKiribati to this day. The decision to locate the Government on South Tarawa led to many changes; the lifestyle on South Tarawa is now almost urban, while lifestyles on North Tarawa remain based in traditional, subsistence culture.[15]
In the early 1970s, a boat constructed at Taratai village was sailed to Fiji using traditional navigation techniques, as part of a project led byJames Siers to demonstrate that Pacific seafarers were capable of making deliberate voyages ofexploration in ancient times.[16]
In North Tarawa, the subsistence lifestyle practiced throughout theGilbert Islands coexists with a more market economy based on trade with neighboringSouth Tarawa. Only 16% of the workforce are in paid employment, but a further 17% earn cash from market oriented activities. There is a strong trade in local food, building materials and other items from North Tarawa, which are sold for cash in markets and on the streets of South Tarawa.[4]
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Aratokotoko Primary School is in North Tarawa.[17] The Japanese government funded the construction of four classrooms there, spending $95,004.00U.S. dollars (about $92,505.00Australian dollars).[18]
Education in Kiribati is free and compulsory for ages 6 to 13. Primary education includes the first seven years: classes one to six. The 110 government-funded primary schools throughout the islands enroll 17,594 students (approximately 49 percent female) and employ 727 teachers (approximately 62 percent female). In 1997, some 75 students were retained in a primary grade because of inadequate academic performance. Educational attainment in Kiribati is largely restricted to the primary level; this is principally the result of a lack of availability and cost of secondary and tertiary schools on the islands.[19]
Currently there is one Christian senior high,Immaculate Heart College.[20]
North Tarawa has a special place in Kiribati mythology; the tree of life or tree of knowledge orUekera was planted in Buariki village in North Tarawa by Nei Tekanuea. Uekera came from the south. Spirits who lived in a tree in Samoa migrated northward carrying branches from the tree.[5] It was these spirits, together with Nareau the Wise who created the islands of Tungaru (the Gilbert Islands)[Note 1]
There are regular ferry services from urbanSouth Tarawa to the main villages of North Tarawa, and it is also relatively simple to charter a boat. The road fromSouth Tarawa ends at the channel between Buota and Abatao, but this channel can be easily walked at low tide, so that the southern islets of North Tarawa can be accessed on foot.
The Island Council operates a guest house at Abaokoro, providing basic accommodation for Government workers and other visitors, but also welcoming tourists. There are also several independent homestays and lodges in North Tarawa.[23]
Nooto-North Tarawa Conservation Area, 10.33 km2 (3.99 sq mi), isRamsar Convention Site - Wetland of International Importance. This Conservation Area includes marine zones.[6][24]
Two uninhabited Kiribati islands, Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea, disappeared underwater in 1999, according to the South Pacific regional environment programme.
According to South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, two small, uninhabited Kiribati islets, Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea, disappeared underwater in 1999 (Kirby 1999).
