Tarawa aerial view through time

Betio 1943–2005 5 photos of this spot

5 photographs taken at the same spot in Betio, spanning 1943–2005 — 4 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

Rows of tents mark a US military encampment on Betio, part of Tarawa Atoll, photographed in 1943. The islet had just been the site of one of the costliest amphibious battles of the Pacific War, after which American forces established a base there.

US Base tents Betio Tarawa 1943 Rows of tents mark a US military encampment on Betio, part of Tarawa Atoll, photographed in 1943. The islet had just been the site of one of the costliest amphibious battles of the Pacific War, after which American forces established a base there.

Tarawa Atoll aerial photo 1943 This aerial photograph of Tarawa Atoll was taken in September 1943, showing the islet of Betio in what is now Kiribati. Within weeks, Betio would become the scene of a major and bloody amphibious battle between US Marines and Japanese defenders.

Tarawa aerial view 1943 Dated 24 November 1943, this aerial view captures Tarawa Atoll during the height of the battle fought there between United States Marines and Japanese forces, one of the fiercest engagements of the early Pacific campaign.

Hawkins Field Betio Tarawa March 1944 By March 1944, the captured airstrip on Betio in Tarawa Atoll had been renamed Hawkins Field. This photograph shows the base several months after the 1943 battle, as US forces expanded it into an operational airfield for the ongoing Pacific campaign.

Loading copra at Betio port, Kiribati 2005 Workers load copra, dried coconut kernel, at the port of Betio in Kiribati, photographed in 2005. Copra has long been one of the few export commodities available to the small Pacific nation's economy.