Bairiki is a settlement in
South Tarawa
South Tarawa ( gil, Tarawa Teinainano) is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonriki ...
of
Kiribati
Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),[Kiribati]
''The Wor ...
. The State House, the
National Stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
, the High Commissions of Australia and New Zealand as well as the embassy of China, and most of the Government Ministries are based in Bairiki. Bairiki is administered by the Teinainano Urban Council or TUC. As at the 2010 Census the population of Bairiki was 3,524.
Overview
Bairiki was sometimes considered the capital of
Kiribati
Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),[Kiribati]
''The Wor ...
because at one time both the Parliament and the Presidency (and main administrative offices) were located there. However Parliament moved to Ambo in 2000, and the various ministries are scattered throughout South Tarawa, from
Betio
Betio is the largest township of Kiribati's capital city, South Tarawa, and the country's main port. The settlement is located on a separate islet at the extreme southwest of the atoll.
Betio Post Office opened on 5 April 1957 and closed in 1964. ...
to
Bikenibeu.
Geography
Bairiki is an islet near the Western end of
South Tarawa
South Tarawa ( gil, Tarawa Teinainano) is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonriki ...
. It is joined to
Betio
Betio is the largest township of Kiribati's capital city, South Tarawa, and the country's main port. The settlement is located on a separate islet at the extreme southwest of the atoll.
Betio Post Office opened on 5 April 1957 and closed in 1964. ...
by the Nippon Causeway, which opened in 1989, and is also joined to Naanekai by a causeway, forming part of a continuous road which links
South Tarawa
South Tarawa ( gil, Tarawa Teinainano) is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to more than half of Kiribati's population. The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonriki ...
from
Betio
Betio is the largest township of Kiribati's capital city, South Tarawa, and the country's main port. The settlement is located on a separate islet at the extreme southwest of the atoll.
Betio Post Office opened on 5 April 1957 and closed in 1964. ...
in the West to
Bonriki International Airport
Bonriki International Airport is an international airport in Kiribati, serving as the main gateway to the country. It is located in its capital, South Tarawa, which is a group of islets in the atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, precisely on ...
in the East.
Bairiki is a small islet, with a land area of less than half a square km.
Much of the land is occupied by the Government itself, including the
Bairiki National Stadium
Bairiki National Stadium is located in Bairiki, Kiribati. It is the national stadium and the home of Kiribati's men's and women's national football teams. The official name of the stadium is Reuben K. Uatioa Stadium. The stadium's capacity is ...
and the main offices of many of the Government ministries, and by foreign High Commissions with their associated residences. The village community of Bairiki lives in very crowded conditions, and rapid population growth is causing significant problems.
Education
King George V School, a secondary school for boys, opened in Bairiki in 1922. It later moved to
Abemama
Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of and a population of 3,299 . The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part o ...
.
[Talu, Alaima. "Towards Quality in Education" (Chapter 21, in Part IV: Social Issues). In: Van Trease, Howard (editor). ''Atoll Politics: The Republic of Kiribati''. ]University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...
MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies and University of the South Pacific
The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public university, public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and ...
, 1993. , 9780958330008. p
241
/ref>
Transport
The city has road connections to Betio
Betio is the largest township of Kiribati's capital city, South Tarawa, and the country's main port. The settlement is located on a separate islet at the extreme southwest of the atoll.
Betio Post Office opened on 5 April 1957 and closed in 1964. ...
and Nanikai
See also
*Bairiki National Stadium
Bairiki National Stadium is located in Bairiki, Kiribati. It is the national stadium and the home of Kiribati's men's and women's national football teams. The official name of the stadium is Reuben K. Uatioa Stadium. The stadium's capacity is ...
References
External links
{{Authority control
South Tarawa
Populated places in Kiribati
Capitals in Oceania