Tarawa Lagoon

Tarawa lagoon is the water the atoll encloses, a shallow triangle some twenty kilometres across with the causeway-linked villages of South Tarawa strung along its southern rim and North Tarawa's quieter islets on the eastern side. Fishing canoes work it, the tide moves a long way across the flats, and the whole population of the capital lives on its edge. South Tarawa holds around half the country's population on a strip of land a few hundred metres wide in places.

What you actually see

• The scale - a lagoon some twenty kilometres across.
• The tidal flats - the ground the water uncovers twice a day.
• The fishing canoes - the craft worked across the lagoon.
• The causeway villages - South Tarawa strung along the southern rim.

When to go

April to October is the drier and calmer season. Tide governs everything on the flats. The wet season brings heavier weather.

Honest expectations

Water quality near South Tarawa is poor because of population pressure and poor sanitation. Swimming near the settled areas is not advisable. Boat trips must be arranged locally.

Nearby

North Tarawa is northeast, and Abaiang is north.