Tarawa
- ISS011-E-9107
- 18 June 2005
- 23:24 UTC
Located 10 km south from Abaiang (visible at the right edge of the above image) in the North Gilbert Islands, Tarawa is the main population and administrative centre for the Gilbert Islands as well as that of the whole nation of Kiribati. The triangular-shaped atoll of 35 km in length has 22 minor islets arranged in a reverse L-shape on the eastern and southern sides; the entire formation covers an area of 490 km², of which nearly 32 km² is land. The lagoon is shallow, averaging 10-15 m in depth, and nowhere exceeding 25 m.
Over population and pollution are serious problems for this, the most populous of the Gilbert atolls.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center