The small island of Bairiki is the capital of Kiribati, a nation of far-flung islands in the central Pacific Ocean. It is connected by road to several of the other islets that make up the atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands.
The Parliament building, the office of the president, the national library, and some of Kiribati's government departments are on Bairiki. Other departments are elsewhere on Tarawa. An international airport is on a nearby island. There is also an extension center of the University of the South Pacific on Bairiki. Tarawa also offers port facilities.
People have lived on the islands of Tarawa, a coral atoll, for thousands of years. Tarawa was sighted by a British sea captain named Thomas Gilbert in 1788. Not until 1892 did the British make a formal claim to what they called the Gilbert Islands. The Japanese occupied the Gilbert Islands briefly during World War II. In 1943, they were forced out after a battle on Tarawa. In 1979 the Gilbert Islands became independent. The new nation took the name of Kiribati, and Bairiki became the national capital. Population (1990 estimate), city, 2,230; metropolitan area, 32,000.
