Kiribati
In numbers
31.0km²
Area
2m
Highest point
70,090
People
29°C
Warmest sea
July
3,606km
To the mainland
When to go to Tarawa
Best for the beach from January to April and in November.
The sea is warmest in July (29 °C) and coolest in February (28 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean and the capital of Kiribati
Tarawa is an atoll in Kiribati. It belongs to Gilbert Islands. It covers 31.0 km². Its highest point rises to 2 m. About 70,090 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 3,606 km away.
Getting there
- Bonriki International Airport (TRW)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 17 km in a straight line
- 3,606 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to April and Novemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Sea (°C) | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Rain (mm) | 212 | 156 | 220 | 171 | 103 | 136 | 119 | 107 | 92 | 94 | 95 | 208 |
| Wet days | 19 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 |
| Sun h/day | 7.2 | 7.6 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 7.4 |
| Wind (km/h) | 21 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 19 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +1.8 | +1.7 | +1.0 | +0.5 | −0.1 | +0.2 | −0.2 | −0.7 | −0.5 | −0.6 | −0.7 | −1.0 |
| 2021 | −1.2 | −1.1 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.5 | −0.7 | −0.9 | −0.6 |
| 2022 | −0.1 | +0.1 | −0.5 | −0.9 | −1.3 | −0.8 | −1.4 | −1.1 | −1.1 | −1.0 | −1.1 | −0.7 |
| 2023 | −0.5 | −0.5 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.3 | +1.0 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +1.3 | +1.1 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.1 |
| 2025 | −0.9 | −0.9 | −0.9 | −0.4 | −0.4 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.4 | −0.3 | −0.5 | ±0.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q2486) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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