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Marshalls

Marshalls

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a Micronesian island nation in the western Pacific Ocean, located north of Nauru and Kiribati, east of the Federated States of Micronesia and south of the U.S. territory of Wake Island.

History

While settled by Micronesians in the 2nd millennium BC, little is known of the early history of the islands. Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar was the first European to sight the Marshalls, but the islands remained virtually unvisited by Europeans for several more centuries, before being visited by English captain John Marshall in 1788; the islands owe their name to him. A German trading company settled on the islands in 1885, and they became part of the protectorate of German New Guinea some years later. Japan conquered the islands in World War I, and administered them as a League of Nations mandate. In World War II, the United States invaded the islands (1944), and they were added to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (including several more island groups in the South Sea). The U.S. started conducting nuclear tests on the islands immediately after the war, continuing until the 1960s as the Pacific Proving Grounds. Many Marshallese suffered from high radiation levels because of this, and compensation claims still continue to this day. In 1979 the Republic of the Marshall Islands was established and a Compact of Free Association with the U.S. government was signed, becoming effective in 1986. The independence was formally completed under international law in 1990, when the UN officially ended the trust given to the USA.

Politics

The Marshallese president is both head of state and head of government. The president, who is elected by and from the members of the Nitijela (parliament), appoints his own cabinet. Elections for the parliament, which has 33 seats, are held every four years.

Municipalities

1986 1986]The Marshall Islands are divided into 24 legislative districts, which correspond to the inhabited islands and atolls of the country. See Geography.

Geography

The country consists of 29 atolls and 5 isolated islands. The most important atolls and islands form two groups: the Ratak Chain and the Ralik Chain (meaning "sunrise" and "sunset" chains). Two-thirds of the nation's population lives on Majuro (which is also the capital) and Ebeye. The outer islands are sparsely populated due to lack of employment opportunities and economic development. Life on the outer atolls is generally still fairly traditional, and the nutrition of the rural population, being grown and caught, is superior that of most of the urban residents, who rely considerably on white rice. The climate is hot and humid, with a wet season from May to November. The islands occasionally suffer from typhoons.
- Ailinginae Atoll (uninhabited)
- Ailinglaplap Atoll (legislative district)
- Ailuk Atoll (legislative district)
- Arno (legislative district)
- Aur Atoll (legislative district)
- Bikar Atoll (or Bikaar; uninhabited)
- Bikini Atoll
- Bokak Atoll (uninhabited)
- Ebon Atoll (legislative district)
- Enewetak Atoll (legislative district)
- Erikub Atoll (uninhabited)
- Jabat Island (legislative district)
- Jaluit Atoll (legislative district)
- Jemo Island (uninhabited)
- Kili Island (legislative district)
- Kwajalein Atoll (legislative district)
- Lae Atoll (legislative district)
- Lib Island (legislative district)
- Likiep Atoll (legislative district)
- Majuro Atoll (legislative district)
- Maloelap Atoll (legislative district)
- Mejit Island (legislative district)
- Mili Atoll (legislative district)
- Nadikdik Atoll (or Knox; uninhabited)
- Namorik Atoll (or Namdrik; legislative district)
- Namu Atoll (legislative district)
- Rongelap Atoll (legislative district)
- Rongerik Atoll (uninhabited)
- Toke Atoll (uninhabited)
- Ujae Atoll (legislative district)
- Ujelang Atoll (uninhabited)
- Utirik Atoll (or Utrik; legislative district)
- Wotho Atoll (legislative district)
- Wotje Atoll (legislative district)

Economy

United States Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production is concentrated on small farms, and the most important commercial crops are coconuts, tomatoes, melons, and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, fish processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Around 1999 a tuna loining plant was built and employed upwards to 400 people, mostly women. After absorbing significant training costs and lack of government assistance the plant was closed in 2005. Although providing almost $6 million into the economy, and a significant number of jobs that previoulsy had not existed, the government let the plant close and chose to not provide any incentives to the owners to keep it open. Under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US provides roughly $65 million in annual aid. Negotiations were under way in 1999 for an extended agreement. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, and the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties caused GDP to fall in 1996-98. The United States also maintains The U.S. Army's Reagan Test Site (RTS) on Kwajalein Atoll. It is an important aspect of the Marshallese economy, as the Marshallese land owners receive rent for the base, and a large number of Marshallese work on base.

Demographics

The Marshallese are of Micronesian origin and migrated from Asia several thousand years ago. Although English is an official language and is spoken widely, although not fluently, Marshallese is used by the government. Japanese is also occasionally spoken in some areas of Marshall Islands. Virtually all Marshallese are Christian, most of them Protestant.

Culture

Although now in decline, the Marshallese were once able navigators, using the stars and stick and shell charts. They are also experienced in canoe building and still hold annual competitions involving the unique Oceanic sailing canoe, the proa.

Nuclear Testing

Between 1946 and 1958 the USA tested 67 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands, including the largest nuclear test the US ever conducted, the Castle Bravo disaster, which resulted in the radiation poisoning of 236 Marshallese. In 1994 documents were released which showed this act was premeditated by the Atomic Energy Commission in human radiation experiments known as Project 4.1.[http://www.rmiembassyus.org/Nuclear%20Issues.htm] Nuclear Claims between the United States and the Marshall Islands are ongoing, and health effects still linger from these tests.

Miscellaneous topics

- Communications in the Marshall Islands
- Foreign relations of the Marshall Islands
- Military of the Marshall Islands
- Transportation in the Marshall Islands

External links

- [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rm.html CIA World Factbook - Marshall Islands]
- [http://www.rmiembassyus.org/ Marshall Islands embassy to the US - information on Marshall Islands]
- [http://marshall.csu.edu.au Marshall Islands Digital Archive and Library]
- [http://www.yokwe.net/ Yokwe Online - Everything Marshall Islands]
- [http://www.janeresture.com/marshalls/marshalls.htm Jane's Marshall Islands Home Page]
- [http://www3.uakron.edu/majuro/Links.html Marshall Islands Maps, Nutrition, Historic and Current Photos - University of Akron]
- [http://www.bikiniatoll.com/ Atomic Testing Information] Category:Freely associated states Category:Island nations
- Category:Micronesia Category:Archipelagoes Category:Oceanic countries zh-min-nan:Marshall Kûn-tó ko:마셜 제도 ja:マーシャル諸島 simple:Marshall Islands th:สาธารณรัฐหมู่เกาะมาร์แชลล์

Micronesia

Micronesia (from Greek: μικρός small, νῆσος island) is the name of a region in the Pacific Ocean. The Philippines lie to the west, Indonesia to the south west, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the south-east and east.

Geography and history

This region of Oceania consists of many hundreds of small islands spread over a large region of the western Pacific. The only empire known to have originated in Micronesia was based in Yap. The term "Micronesia" was first proposed to distinguish the region in 1831 by Jules Dumont d'Urville; before this the term "Polynesia" was in use to generally describe the islands of the Pacific. Politically, Micronesia is divided between eight territories:
- the Federated States of Micronesia (sometimes referred to simply as "Micronesia", or alternatively abbreviated "FSM");
- the Republic of the Marshall Islands;
- the Republic of Palau;
- the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
- the Republic of Nauru;
- the Republic of Kiribati;
- the Territory of Guam.
- the Territory of Wake Island. Much of the area was to come under European domination quite early. Guam, the Northern Marianas, and the Caroline Islands (what would later become the FSM and Palau) were colonized early on by the Spanish. Full European expansion did not come, however, until the late 19th century, when the area would be divided between:
- the United States, which took Guam and Wake Island;
- Germany, which took Nauru and the Marshall, Caroline, and Northern Mariana Islands; and
- the British Empire, which took the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati). During the First World War, Germany's Pacific island territories were taken from it and were made into League of Nations Mandates. Nauru became an Australian mandate, while Germany's other territories were given as mandates to Japan. This remained the situation until Japan's defeat in the Second World War, when its mandates became a United Nations Trusteeship ruled by the United States, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Today, all of Micronesia (with the exceptions of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Wake Island, which are U.S. territories) are independent states.

Languages

The native languages of the various Micronesian indigenous peoples are classified under the Austronesian language family. Almost all of these languages belong to the Oceanic subgroup of this family; however, three exceptions are noted in Western Micronesia, which belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian subgroup:
- Chamorro in the Mariana Islands,
- Yapese in the Federated States of Micronesia, and
- Palauan in Palau. This latter subgroup also includes quite a few languages spoken today in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Kirch, 2000: pp. 166-167). On the eastern edge of the Federated States of Micronesia, the languages Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi represent an extreme westward extension of Polynesian.

References

- pp. 166-167.

External links

- [http://www.mapsouthpacific.com/micronesia/index.html Map of Micronesia]
- [http://www.southpacific.org/micro.html Moon Handbooks Micronesia]
- [http://www.mymicronesia.com/ myMicronesia.com]
- [http://nature.org/wherewework/asiapacific/micronesia/ Micronesia conservation and nature] Category:Islands Category:Biodiversity hotspots Category:Micronesia Category:Oceania zh-min-nan:Micronesia ko:미크로네시아 ja:ミクロネシア

Island nation

An island nation is a country that is wholly confined to an island or island group, and has no territory on the mainland of the world's continents. Forty-seven of the world's countries are island nations, including most of the smallest ones. Island nations can be divided in two approximate groups. There are those that are large, relatively populous, and usually close to a continent. These include the United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Madagascar. These countries typically share cultural and political similarities with their continental neighbours. Their island status has sometimes been an important advantage that has isolated them from invasion and made them important in regional trade because of their locations and the maritime abilities of the population. Australia can be considered this category of nation taken to an extreme: an island nation so large it is considered a continent. Smaller island nations such as the Comoros, the Bahamas, Tonga, and the Maldives tend to be very different from continental nations. The small size usually means there is little agricultural land and rarely many natural resources. However, in modern times smaller island nations around the world have become centres for tourism, which in many is today the dominant industry. Some island nations are centered on one or two major islands, such as the United Kingdom and Fiji. Others are spread out over hundreds or thousands of smaller islands, such as Indonesia or the Maldives. Some island nations share their islands with other countries; these include the Republic of Ireland, Haiti, and Papua New Guinea. The opposite of an island nation is a landlocked one.

Nauru

The Republic of Nauru (pronounced //), formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island republic in the South Pacific Ocean. It is one of the world's smallest independent countries both in terms of population and land area and the smallest independent republic in both terms. It is also the smallest non-European country (in terms of land area). Much of its past prosperity derived from the large amount of phosphate deposits on the island, believed to be either of guano or of marine origin. Superphosphate is used as a fertilizer around the world in aerial topdressing and the majority of it has been exported to Australia. With the exhaustion of the phosphate supplies, Nauru faces an uncertain future. In the 1990s, it tried to gain new sources of income by introducing itself as a tax haven, but this story came to an end in July 2004. Nauru currently houses a detention centre, which holds and processes asylum seekers as part of Australia's Pacific Solution.

History

Pacific Solution Nauru was first settled by Polynesian and Melanesian settlers. The first European to arrive was Captain John Fearn who was a whale hunter in 1798, but Nauru continued as an independent island society, reigned by a king (the most widely known being King Auweyida), until it was annexed by Germany in 1888 to German New Guinea. Mining of its extensive phosphate reserves began in 1905. Following World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations Mandate territory in 1920, administered by Australia. In 1947, a trusteeship was approved by the United Nations. Nauru achieved independence in 1968. The founding president was Hammer DeRoburt. Nauru is a special member of the Commonwealth and joined the United Nations as a member state in 1999. In 2001, the MV Tampa, a ship which had rescued 460 refugees (from various countries including Afghanistan) from a stranded 20-metre boat and was seeking to dock in Australia, was diverted to Nauru as part of the Pacific Solution. The refugees were housed in a detention center in Nauru. As of 2005, all women and children have been granted asylum in Australia. Only 2 Iraqi men, who have been deemed a security risk by the ASIO, remain.[http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17112734-29277,00.html]

Politics

ASIO The 18-member Parliament is elected every three years. The Parliament elects a president from amongst its members, who appoints a Cabinet of five to six people. The President is both the head of state and head of government. There is a loose multiparty system; the two main parties are the Democratic Party and Nauru Party (informal). Between 1999 and 2003, a series of no-confidence votes and elections resulted in two people, René Harris and Bernard Dowiyogo, leading the country for alternating periods. Dowiyogo died in office on March 10, 2003 in Washington, DC after heart surgery. Ludwig Scotty was elected President on May 29, 2003; however, in August 2003 there was another no confidence vote. Harris regained support and was re-elected president. On October 1, 2004, Scotty declared a state of emergency and dissolved parliament after it failed to pass a national budget. On June 1, 2005 Nauru severed diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China and re-established links with Taiwan (Republic of China), which had existed for 22 years prior to 2003. Taiwan (Republic of China)

Districts

Nauru has 14 districts:
- Aiwo
- Anabar
- Anetan
- Anibare
- Baiti
- Boe
- Buada
- Denigomodu
- Ewa
- Ijuw
- Meneng
- Nibok
- Uaboe
- Yaren

Geography

Yaren Nauru is a small phosphate rock island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands. The island is a raised atoll, with a surrounding reef exposed at low tide. Most of the population live on the narrow coastal belt. A central plateau, covering approximately four-fifths of the land area, rises 70 metres above sea level. There are limited natural fresh water resources. Roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but islanders are mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant. Intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and New Zealand consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources. Nauru's climate is extremely humid year-round because of its proximity to the Equator.

Economy

Equator Equator Equator Revenues of Nauru have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are now almost exhausted. Phosphate production has declined since 1989, as demand has fallen in traditional markets and as the marginal cost of extracting the remaining phosphate increases, making it less internationally competitive. While phosphates previously gave Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World, few other resources exist, with most necessities being imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. The government has been borrowing heavily to finance fiscal deficits. Another source of revenue was office rents from Nauru House, one of the tallest buildings in Melbourne, built on the profits from phosphates. Unfortunately, in the 1990s, mismanagement and corruption ruined the once-substantial savings of the island government. The huge earnings from the phosphates mining have been wasted, and now Nauru faces a very uncertain future. In November 2004, in an effort to pay off some Nauru's creditors, the nation's largest assets in Melbourne, including Nauru House, were sold for over $150 million. In the 1990s, Nauru introduced itself as a tax haven, soon becoming one of the favourite spots for dirty money of the Russian mafia. A no-questions-asked policy enabled 70 billion dollars of assets belonging to Russian gangsters to be funneled to Nauru (an estimate by Central Bank of the Russian Federation). This led the FATF to identify Nauru as one of fifteen non-cooperative countries in its fight against money laundering. For example, a bank could be established with as little as $25,000 without visiting the island or maintaining records. At present, Nauru's days as a banking centre are waning, with anti-avoidance legislation having been introduced and foreign hot money leaving the country. In October 2005 this legislation - and its effective enforcement - led the FATF the lifting of the "non-cooperative" designation. Nauru is currently involved in an Australian lawsuit against the United States over a failed underground agreement. Allegedly, representatives of the United States offered billions of dollars worth of economic recovery to the island. In exchange, Nauru enacted legislation limiting the efficacy of overseas money laundering and tax evasion. Simultaneously, they established a Nauruan "stooge" embassy in China (actually functioning under United States control), assisting defecting North Korean scientists and officials across the border. This supposedly included Kyong Won-ha, the scientist allegedly responsible for much of Pyongyang's nuclear program. This initiative was termed "Operation Weasel." When news of this agreement surfaced after Nauru faithfully followed through with the necessary legislation and the preliminaries of the embassy (which rightfully drew suspicion from China as it was staffed entirely by westerners), the United States responded that the agents who made the deal with Nauru never had the authority to make such a contract, and Nauru has not yet received the promised aid. Nauru's case against the United States is still pending, but preliminary judgments favor the island nation over the superpower.

Demographics

The official language is Nauruan. English is widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes. The main religion is Christianity (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic). There is also a sizeable Bahá'í community.

Culture

Bahá'í The island's traditional culture is all but vanished: Nauru is considered to be one of the most Westernized of the Pacific islands. The national sport is Australian Rules Football. Nauru has also had international success in weightlifting. Marcus Stephen has been the most successful lifter to date, winning several Commonwealth Games medals. He was elected to Parliament in 2003. There is a stadium under construction in the district of Meneng.
- Nauruan indigenous religion

External links

- [http://www.cenpac.net.nr CenPacNet], the country's Internet service provider
- [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nr.html CIA World Factbook] - Information and statistics
- [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_979.html Consular Information Sheet]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1134221.stm Country Profile] BBC News
- [http://www.janeresture.com/nauru_home/index.htm Jane's Nauru Home Page]
- [http://www.monitor.net/monitor/0304a/nauru.html "Nauru Island: Far Side Of Paradise"], Albion Monitor, 26 April, 2003
- [http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=884045 "Paradise well and truly lost"], The Economist, 20 December 2001
- [http://207.70.82.73/pages/descriptions/03/253.html Radio program "This American Life" featured a 30-minute story on Nauru"]
- [http://www.spc.int Secretariat of the Pacific Community] - Official site of the Pacific Community
- [http://www.vanuatu.usp.ac.fj/paclawmat/Nauru_legislation/Nauru_Constitution.html The Nauru Constitution]
- [http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-473702-nauru_vacations-i Yahoo! Travel Informations Nauru]
- [http://www.uniya.org/research/view_nauru.html "View on Nauru: Between a mined-out rock and a hard place"] Uniya View on the Pacific briefing series, July 2005
- [http://www.gavinfinlaysmith.com/video/Cine%20Film%20-%20Nauru%201978%20-%201979.wmv Cine Film footage of Island Life in 1979, Including Phosphate Excavation]
- [http://media.tvnz.co.nz/news/nauru_081104_56k.wmv Report about asylum seekers in Nauru on Television New Zealand] Category:Micronesia Category:Nauru Category:Oceanic countries als:Nauru zh-min-nan:Nauru ko:나우루 ms:Nauru ja:ナウル simple:Nauru th:สาธารณรัฐนาอูรู

Kiribati

The Republic of Kiribati is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The country's 33 atolls are scattered over 3,500,000 km² near the equator. Its name is pronounced and is a Kiribati language rendering of "Gilberts", the English name for the main group of islands: the former Gilbert Islands.

History

Main article: History of Kiribati Kiribati was inhabited by a single Micronesian ethnic group that spoke the same Oceanic language for 2,000 years before coming into contact with Europeans. The islands were named the Gilbert Islands in 1820 by a Russian admiral, Adam von Krusenstern, and French captain Louis Duperrey, after a British captain, Thomas Gilbert, who crossed the archipelago in 1788 ('Kiribati' is the islanders' pronunciation of plural 'Gilberts'). In 1892, the Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate together with the nearby Ellice Islands. They became a colony in 1916 and finally became autonomous in 1971. In 1943, the Battle of Tarawa was fought at Kiribati's capital Bairiki on Tarawa atoll. In 1978, the Ellice Islands became the independent nation of Tuvalu, and Kiribati's independence followed on July 12, 1979. With independence, the United States relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix Islands and all but three of the Line Islands, which became part of Kiribati territory.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Kiribati The parliament of Kiribati, called Maneaba ni Maungatabu is elected every four years, and consists of 42 representatives. A Maneaba is also the name given to the meeting houses in every local community. The president is both head of state and head of government, and is called te Beretitenti (pronounced te pereseetensee). Each of the 21 inhabited islands has a local council that takes care of the daily affairs. (3 councils on Tarawa: Betio, South-Tarawa, North-Tarawa). The name "Kiribati" is the local language equivalent of the word "Gilberts" and is pronounced "Ki-ri-bas." The Republic of Kiribati, covering the total area of about 5 million square kilometres, is made up of three groups of islands: 1. Gilbert Group (Kiribati) - 16 islands or atolls, as well as Banaba (Ocean Island) , about 400 kilometres south-west of Tarawa, capital of the Republic of Kiribati; 2. Line Islands, (The Northern Equatorial Islands) - eight islands, 2400 kilometres east of Kiribati and include the unique and beautiful Kiritimati (Christmas Island, the world's largest atoll in land area), Fanning Island (Tabuaeran) and Millennium Island (formerly Caroline Island) so named as it was the first to greet the dawn of the new millennium; and 3. Phoenix Group - eight islands, 1120 kilometres E.S.E.of Kiribati and include Canton Island (Kanton) and Hull Island (Orona). Please come with me on a journey to the beautiful and enchanting islands of the Republic of Kiribati. This can easily be undertaken by clicking on any of the Links on the Menu to the left. For new visitors it will be the trip of a lifetime, and for old friends it will be a journey to remember and treasure once more. Also included is information on accommodation and travel to/from and within the Republic of Kiribati. KIRIBATI HISTORICAL IMAGES Over the last sixty years, it is amazing that so many aspects of Kiribati life have changed very little. So many of those fundamental things that are uniquely I-Kiribati have been preserved from one generation to the next. The material on this Web site has been extracted from a January 1943 issue of National Geographic Magazine. The photographs were taken by Dr. Raymond A. Dillon. The beauty of this young girl typifies in many ways the beauty of Kiribati. With her delicate features, she flashes a ready smile displaying clean white teeth. Her abundant hair is black and straight. In previous times, she would have worn no clothes but civilisation and the missionaries have introduced the Mother Hubbard for adult women and insisted on at least a little covering for youngsters. A Kiribati dancer in a remote village displays the style that has made Kiribati dancing the exciting and intense art form that it is. Left: Into the sunset on the vast Pacific Ocean an outrigger canoe sails for flying fish. Distance has no terrors for Kiribati navigators, who are taught in boyhood to steer by the stars. Right: A Kiribati boy enjoys a cool place in which to partake of a drink of coconut milk. The above two images highlight the dancing agilities of the athletic Kiribati men. In the image above, the backhanded stroke demonstrated here is one with which a Kiribati swimmer disembowels a shark. For a special feast, the locals cut up a roast pig. Pork is a rare treat and the regular diet consists of coconut, babai, taro, breadfruit and fish. The well-kept houses reflect the clean healthiness of the Kiribati people. No filthy litter mars the villages, and for ventilation, the houses are open tothe breezes. The building materials come from the sea with floors and walls made of coral gravel and foundations and pillars of lime from burned coral. Kite flying is a favourite sport among the Kiribati people. These 25 ft. kites, flown without tails, depend for equilibrium on perfect proportion. An expert can manipulate one so that it travels upwind and soars directly over his head or does battle with another in the clouds. Tabiteuea locals sail a swift 96 feet, three mastered outrigger canoe. Its width is five and a half feet, freeboard five feet, and draft three feet. The outrigger is a single log about 49 feet long and 2 feet in diameter lashed to the hull amidships by thirteen 20 foot pieces forming a scaffold. The masts are 40 feet high. Since the deck is only half covered, it is possible to "go below" at any point. A red flag floats from each masthead. Like the smaller craft, it is constructed without metal, all parts being tied together with coconut fibre. From the outrigger, the huge steering oar looks small. However, for the lads who clamber out on the framework to keep the speeding craft on an even keel clear vision of the steersman is vital. An unexpected puff or flaw could easily fling them overboard. The Maneaba is the central focus of social life in the village. Standing in the centre of a spacious square, this cathedral-like thatch - perhaps a 120 feet long by 80 feet wide - is the hub of Kiribati communal life. Its ridge soars 60 feet high and its sides come close to the ground so those entering must stoop. Inside, traditional places are reserved for each clan. At high tide on the ocean beach fishermen boldly launch their flimsy canoes - they brave the open sea without any thought of danger. Kiribati fishermen occasionally find pearls in oysters taken from the lagoons. Sticks edged with shark's teeth serve as weapons for the Kiribati people. With such crude knives the daring natives attack and kill tiger sharks and even the deadly "grey ghost". Kiribati people in canoes swarm about a visiting schooner. When not in use, the woven mat sails are rolled neatly on the outriggers, for there is no room for them in the slender hulls. CHRISTMAS ISLAND BOMB TESTS Christmas Island Bomb Tests Message Forum The first step in the selection of Christmas Island as the Bomb Test Base had in fact been taken in January and February of 1956, when H.M.N.Z.S. Lachlan brought a survey party to the Island to "bring information up-to-date in connection with the International Geo-Physical Year". In March a request was received for the clearing of the runways at the airport and early in April information was received that the British Government was to establish an "Air Base" at Christmas Island and the code name 'GRAPPLE' was born. The official announcement that the real purpose was the testing of nuclear weapons followed and on 19th June, 1956 the advance party for the operation arrived. By July a canvas town had appeared and there were two thousand sailors, soldiers and airmen on the Island, apart from the crews of the vessels in port and the civilian scientific personnel. Recording stations were established on Malden and Fanning Islands. At first there were suggestions from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Government (now the Republic of Kiribati and Tuvalu) that the island should be evacuated, but this was said to be unnecessary and in fact additional workers were sent for employment by the Forces. However, in February 1957 all the women and children and most of the plantation staff were evacuated to Fanning Island where they remained until 22nd June. Three bombs in the megaton range were successfully dropped by "Valiant" bombers and exploded at about 18,000 feet some thirty miles south of the island between 15th May and 19th June. The thirty-three government staff and plantation workers, who had remained on the Island, were taken aboard a Naval Landing Craft for the explosions, which took place very early in the morning while they watched a film show below decks. Instructions provided for all doors and windows to be left open and all breakables to be placed flat on the floor. Very little damage was reported - except by those who neglected these instructions. Evacuation of the military personnel, apart from a caretaker force, began in July, but meanwhile a decision had been taken in England to develop the Island as a 5-Years Trials Base. Some materials already loaded in the port were unloaded and in August a build-up began which, over the next two years, was to produce a reconstruction of the wharf and port, the resurfacing and sealing of the main runway of the American-built airfield with the installation of hangars, control tower and many other facilities. Another 6,000-foot sealed runway was constructed at the extreme end of the south-east arm - "Aeon Field" taking its name from the former wreck. Click here for more information about Aeon... An asphalt road twenty miles long was built from London to the airfield, extending a further thirty-five miles of single-width to the south-east point. Hutted camps with power-station, piped water and sanitation and recreational facilities were built three miles west of the airfield - "Main Camp" - and at London - "Port Camp" - to house a total of about four thousand men at the peak of the constructional and operational programmes. In November of 1957 there were two further H-Bomb explosion and between April and September of 1958 a further series. There was no evacuation to Fanning Island for these tests, but all were taken to off-shore boats - except at the time of some low-power bomb detonations when even that was not considered necessary. With the prevailing easterly winds the dangers from radioactivity was said to be nil and very minimal for "blast". Only the danger to eyes from "flash" made it essential for people to be under cover. In April, 1959 H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Base during a Pacific Tour. With talks on the banning of further bomb explosions in the atmosphere beginning in Geneva, activity was minimal. Towards the end of the year it was announced that personnel would be reduced to 1700 by 1st January, 1960 and to 300 in July. Christmas Island was now being envisaged as a transit base for the Far East and R.A.F. Transport Command took over. Copra cutting resumed in November, 1959. But it was not after all to be quite the end of military activity. The Geneva talks broke down and American Defence Chiefs were pressing for a resumption of tests. President Kennedy finally approved and Britain accepted that they should be staged at Christmas Island, which now was given yet another code name - 'DOMINIC'. On 15th February, 1962 fifty men from the American firm of Holmes and Narver arrived to reactivate the Main Camp and within two weeks there were more than 800 American servicemen and civilians on the island. Numbers rose rapidly, until by the time of the first "shot" on 25th April there were 3,500 British and American personnel engaged. Between then and 11th July there was a total of twenty-four "shots" in the series. Other tests were going on at Johnston Island 1,200 miles to the north-west and on 8th July it was recorded that the midnight high-altitude explosion there was clearly visible on Christmas Island. Evacuation to off-shore ships was not considered necessary, but after two heavy explosions people became nervous and voluntary arrangements were made. Almost total for the next test, evacuation soon fell below half and only about a third of the people, including all the children, were leaving the island by the end of the series. Those still on shore went to the maneabas (public meeting houses) and waited with bowed heads and closed eyes for the countdown, for "flash" was still the danger. They were then free to go outside and see for the first time the boiling flames of the "mushroom" cloud and experience the delayed shock waves and the roar of the explosion. At the beginning of 1963 there was talk of the establishment of a permanent American satellite tracking station on Christmas Island, but interest waned and by the end of September the last of the American servicemen had departed. In Britain, too, strategic imperatives were changing and the Christmas Island base was an early casualty of the withdrawal of British Forces from the Pacific theatre. In June the last inventories were made, obsolete and dangerous materials were dumped at sea, the offices were locked and at sunset on Monday 19th June, 1964 the White Ensign was lowered at the Royal Navy shore station, H.M.S. Resolution. American service personnel reappeared very briefly in April, 1970 to stand by on Christmas Island for the "splash-down", two hundred miles to the south, of the Apollo 13 crew returning from the moon. After the departure of the Forces, Operation "Hard Look" had carried out a full investigation into the possibilities of radio-active contamination, but had found none. In 1975 a further examination of Christmas Island was undertaken by American experts as part of the preparation for the establishment of a Japanese tracking station. They reported that radioactivity levels were lower than those found in most American cities and that there was nothing on the island which could lead an investigator to deduce that there had ever been an atomic detonation in the vicinity. STOP PRESS BOMB TESTS: THIS MUST BE DONE From Life Magazine, 1962. Reluctantly-forced by the bleak hostility of Russian negotiators and the competitive pressure of Russian tests-the U.S. five days ago fired nuclear bombs in the atmosphere of the Pacific. After three years of trying to get the Soviets to agree to an effective arms inspection and control system, the U.S. found itself in the position of having to test again or losing its nuclear lead. Our tests centred on British-owned Christmas Island, just north of the equator, and our own Johnston Island, 700 miles southwest of Honolulu, 100 planes and 40 ships had three main jobs to do. Although they would work in deep secrecy, their efforts would most probably enter on tasks like those shown in the drawing below. First we want to proof-test the weapons we have developed since our last atmospheric shots in 1958-for example, we have never fixed a warhead on one of our ballistic missiles. The current series will shoot the works, lobbing some warheads from planes (foreground), rocketing others from Johnston Island (left rear) and sending up a Polaris missile from the submerged submarine Ethan Allen (rear). We will also try out smaller warheads in our stockpile, such as the ship- launched antisubmarine rocket in the right foreground. Second, we want to improve the efficiency of our weapons. Efficient bombs have more violence with less weight and allow a given missile or bomber to carry more destructive force. We will try out new kinds of bombs and new concepts of them from balloons over Christmas Island, measuring their efficiency with high-flying "sniffer" aircraft and with sensitive instruments on the islands and on barges anchored at sea. Third, we want to find out the effect in atmospheric explosion has on such diverse things as missile sites, radar detection, radio communication and the functioning of delicate machinery. The Russians focused much of their test series last fall on this, and we in turn must know how seriously nuclear blasts may upset our defenses - or our enemies'. Also we will shoot warheads and packages of electronics equipment of Johnston Island to find out what happens to them when other warheads go off nearby-helping us decide whether we should spend billions of dollars trying to build an anti-missile missile. Most of the series' shots will go off far in the sky to minimize fallout; the radiation they produce should be much less than that for the last Russian tests. Our series is expected to go on for two or three months, during which 25 to 30 bombs will be set off. But the U.S. has made it very clear that we will terminate tests tomorrow if the Russians will do the same-and at last agree to a practicable way to keep anyone from cheating. Aspects of Kiribati A typical Gilbertese (Kiribati) island of the Gilbert Group shown below normally consists of a strip of land, an encircling belt of reef and a lagoon. The strip of land, covered with coconut palms is almost on the same level as the high tide. The highest points are scarcely more than a man's height and comprise sand dunes formed by a wave stronger than the others - or are shovelled-up heaps of earth left by people who have been digging a pit in which to plant babai. The islands of Makin, Kuria, Nikunau, Tamana and Arorae have no lagoon. A typical Gilbersese village is clean and tidy with the ground covered by a white layer of coral fragments. Rows of huts line each side of the road and these are sometimes concealed amongst breadfruits and pawpaw (papaya) trees. The open-sided huts are pleasant and well ventilated and are all built on the same model. Every family has three: a house, a kitchen and a store room. The house is simply a rectangular roof some six feet above the ground, thatched with pandanus leaves and supported by four posts. At about table height, there is a very springy floor made of flexible laths. Between the roof and the floor, coconut-frond mats act as blinds and wind breaks which are rolled up during the day. The maneaba is the centre of the village and next to the war canoe, it is the masterpiece of Gilbertese culture. Like the houses, it is built in a rectangular shape and the architect is normally a village elder who has learnt his trade through experience and from tradition in his family. The construction of the maneaba is undertaken in strict accordance with rites and rules which are always carefully applied. The maneaba is well adapted to the island climate and to its function. Its roof is supported on shoulder-high stone pillars and all who enter have to stoop. The Gilbertese are very comfortable in the maneaba. It is wide, cool and airy and in it the people feast, dance and sleep - sometimes all at the one time. There are no constraints in the maneaba. Here, you might even see a Gilbertese bringing in his grandfather's mummified body to honour the dancing and the skulls of defeated warriors were traditionally lined up. Villages and districts both have their maneabas. They are divided into two groups with different names for those in the south and the north. Some names, such as Maungatabu - sacred mountain - clearly indicate a Samoan origin. Each maneaba has a name, traditions and a personality. All the way around, the maneaba is divided into places and each family has a set position in officialgatherings. A stranger who is guest in another maneaba enters it under the same beam as he would in his home maneaba. Anyone, who belongs to several families, chooses the least cluttered place to sit. As far as official feasts are concerned, there is a strict code of etiquette to observe. One clan supplies heralds who announce what the shares of food will be; another family is responsible for distributing the food. The portion of honour belongs to such and such a family and in sharing out the food a fixed order of precedence is strictly followed. The least mistake for the slightest forgetfulness is taken as an insult. Fish is a very necessary part of Gilbertese life. There are no markets and each man fishes on his own account. Catching fish is a problem which is only solved through determination and use of intelligence. The well populated islands consume an enormous amount of fish with one family using up to 20 kilos in two days. The islands don't always have the same share of facilities. Some have no lagoon while others have the villages badly placed if they wish to send canoes out into the ocean. A different type of fishing is required from one day to the next as the fish are always on the move. Sometimes, there is no canoe, sometimes no net or no line. Most often, the fisherman fails in some way: in health, in determination or in courage. On some islands, many of the young men do not sail a canoe any more and all fishing is done using a net from the shore. Under these circumstances, their families are often forced to eat nothing but the smaller fish. The fishing ground might be the shore, the lagoon, or the open ocean. There are different types of fish in each place. The best place to fish is normally the rocky line of reefs around the island. In the coral chambers and grottos there are a thousand types of fish. This area is also usually the most impossible to reach because of the great breakers which constantly batter against the reef. The patches of rock scattered about the lagoon are also rich in fish. The best fishing ground, however, is in the open sea within about ten miles around the island. The farther away from the reef one goes the less chance there is of good fishing. WAR IN THE PACIFIC The following material was presented to me by Sister Helena Egan, an Australian missionary in Kiribati from 1939 to 1983 - over 44 years! Her first hand recollections of the war in the Pacific are an invaluable record of this period. Her verbatim account of what happened during this time has been broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) with her original transcript being held at the Australian National University, Canberra. I was fortunate enough, as a former student of Immaculate Heart College, Taborio, Tarawa, Kiribati, to have met Sister Helena Egan during her time in Kiribati. She very kindly made available a copy of this transcript as a record for students, historians and others who have an interest in the war in the Pacific (World War 2). It gives me great pleasure to be able to present Sister Helena Egan's record of the War In The Pacific. ... Jane Resture Previous to World War II there were no wireless stations on the outer islands of the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati). There were no such things as radio sets nor small transistors. Betio at the extreme south end of the island of Tarawa was the headquarters of the Government and Catholic mission, as well as the main shipping port for overseas vessels. Tarawa consists of a chain of small islets surrounded by a dangerous coral reef. Betio itself is about 700 yards wide and about 2 miles long. Here on Betio the British Government had installed a radio station. On all the outer islands one relied on news brought by visiting ships, but these visits were rather irregular. Gilbertese men at the top of their coconut trees, on sighting the ships would shout out ‘ sail oh sail oh ’ . This cry would be passed on by others and immediately, those who could do so, hastened to the place of landing in order to get any news and to see who was on board. The outbreak of World War II in 1939 was heard of in this way. However, the Gilbert Islands did not feel the impact of this war until December 1941 when the Japanese entered the Pacific War. But the tiny Island of Nauru, which is part of the vicariate of theGilberts, was attacked by German raiders roaming the Pacific late December, 1940. Their tiny island was shelled by these German raiders and one of the British Phosphate ships, "Triadic" was also attacked and shelled by the Germans. In July 1941 word came from the government that all not native to the island, sisters included were to be evacuated. However, as the Sisters asked to remain, the Government at Canberra sent a second cable saying that the Sisters could remain but at their own risk. Then on the 8th of December a Japanese plane flew over Nauru. Two hours later the sisters heard that war had been declared on Japan. Early in 1942 the Administrator announced that this time all must leave Nauru - a destroyer would pick them up and take them to safety. Allowed to stay would be seven male volunteers to care for the Gilbertese. These were the two Catholic Priests together with the Administrator (Mr Chalmers) and four other men. Later on, they received the news that these five men were executed in March 1943. The two Priests were taken away with local people to the Caroline Islands. The elderly Priest, Father Kayser, later died in the Carolines as a result of harsh treatment. The younger Priest, Father Clivaz, was then sent to another island where he found himself with some Jesuit Spanish Missionaries. After the war he returned to Nauru. Now the Japanese were in Kiribati, or the Gilbert Islands as they were called until July 1979. A few months before the Japanese entered the war, the British Government, realising that the Japanese would in all likelihood try to take the Gilberts, recruited from nearby Zealand personnel as wireless operators and coast-watching guards. There were 24 in all -10 wireless operators and 14 as coast guards. These 24 men were posted to 9 of the 16 islands in the Gilbertese group. At the bombing of Pearl Harbour, war was declared on Japan. Two days later Japanese warships were at Betio, Tarawa. In November, 1941 came an order from the Administrator at Tarawa, that all Europeans, Sisters included, were to be evacuated. There were 31 Sisters - French, Irish and Australian – scattered over the group at different stations. These Sisters asked for permission to remain but the Commissioner refused. He said "You do not know what the Japanese are like" etc. A Protestant Missionary, Mr Sadd, also said to some of the Sisters: "I am a man and they can do what they like to me, but I would not like to think that my sister was in their hands." This missionary was later taken by the Japanese and he with 21 other prisoners were maltreated and beheaded or otherwise killed by the Japanese. At the beginning of December, news came that the Government ship "Nimanoa" and the mission ship, "Santa Teretia", were to bring into Betio, Tarawa all the Sisters from the outer Islands. Then on the 11th December they were to proceed to Ocean Island to await a ship to Australia. The two ships flew around the various islands gathering up the sisters. Mother M. Clementine (French), the superior, went on the Mission ship as she wanted to help the Sisters who were closing the different stations. The 6 Sisters from the Northern islands arrived at Betio, Tarawa on the "Santa Teretia", and 9 sisters with His Lordship, Bishop Terrienne came from the southern Islands on the "Nimanoa". The Bishop wished to be with all the Sisters as they prepared to evacuate. By December 9th, the only Sisters not yet in Tarawa were those at Abaiang, Abemama and Maiana. The Mission schooner again left Tarawa just before the arrival of the "Nimanoa", to collect the Sisters. However, it was too late as the Japanese were already bombing Nauru and Ocean Island. At this time the Mission ship was at Abemama to collect the three Sisters from there. From Abemama the three Sisters with their superior left for Maiana where two more Sisters awaited them but by this time it was too late - all hope of escape was gone. On Wednesday, l0th December when the Captain, Father Klipfel arrived at the Mission Station at about 9.00 p.m. they heard that the Japanese had already arrived at Betio, Tarawa. Two days after the bombing of Pearl Harbour Japanese warships were anchored off Betio. The Sisters' belongings were already in the dinghies when the New Zealand wireless operator at Maiana told Father Klipfel that the "Santa Teretia" was to sail for Suva, Fiji without delay. The two Sisters from Maiana went back to their convent while the three Abemama Sisters and Superior were put ashore on a little islet outside Abemama. On this islet were a few families who were told by the Government to watch the entrance into the lagoon. Two of the men went to the mainland to take the news that the Sisters had returned. During the day canoes went out from the Mainland to get the Sisters. "Santa Teretia" captained by Father Klipfel, Missionary of the Sacred Heart, sailed on through storms, anxiety and fright of the war to Fiji and thus saved the ship. The hurried evacuation of the Sisters, some quite elderly or sick, night after night in a small uncomfortable ship, shaken at that season by storms and angry seas, was no picnic. In the Gilberts the worst time to travel round the islands by ship is from October until about March. The seas were very rough and the currents very strong, so the Sisters would have been quite seasick. The events also showed the courage and deep faith of the Priest/Captain and also that of the Gilbertese sailors of the "Santa Teretia" who worked without pay, following their captain through dangers and into exile. The Sisters at Maiana and Abemama remained on their stations for the duration of the war as well as the Sisters at Abaiang. Those who had been taken to Betio, Tarawa to await transport to Ocean Island were all at Betio when the Japanese arrived in the early hours of December l0th 1941. At Betio on 9th December there were about 19 Sisters awaiting transport to Ocean Island. The Sisters heard Nauru and Ocean Island had been bombed, but could do nothing except to wait for the enemy's arrival. The night was dark and boisterous and thick clouds gathered overhead. At midnight lightning began to flash, followed by peal after peal of thunder. Rain fell in torrents. At about 3.00 a.m. the silence was broken and all kinds of noises could be heard - glass windows crashing, doors being blown open, chopping of wood as the radio was put out of action. Guns were fired off to bring the Gilbertese to order. During the day the destruction became greater. Drums of kerosene were poured over the boats and launches which were then set on fire. The big wooden boat sheds were burnt to the ground. It was still very dark when the Japanese first went to the hospital and then on to the mission station. They went to the presbytery where the Bishop, Father Superior and two Brothers were pushed out and marched down to the Post Office. Japanese soldiers with rifles and drawn bayonets hustled them along the wet road. After that it was the turn of the Sisters. A little Japanese arrived at the convent and said "What nationality?" "We are French, Irish and Australian". At once: "Get out that way, Australian. Get out this way, French. Get out this way, etc etc." He had forgotten how to say "Irish". So the etc. etc. were marshalled out the same way as the French. Sr M St Pierre, over 70 years old and finding it difficult to walk, was allowed by this batch of Japanese to remain at the convent. However, just after daylight other soldiers found Sister alone and made her get up and go along with the soldiers to the other Sisters. The first lot of Sisters were pushed out on to the road in the very heavy rain with the Japanese soldiers with rifles and fixed bayonets behind, in front and at the sides of them, hustling them along on the slippery pathway. Water was over their ankles, but the Japanese soldiers just pushed them along. On their arrival at the Government store they found the European male personnel of Betio sitting on the wet cement floor with broken glass strewn all over the place. The place was in shambles, not an atom of furniture left. The different nationalities were separated; all had to sit in silence from just after 3.00am until after 5 o'clock in the evening. From time to time the soldiers would poke their bayonets in their faces and cars. In the early afternoon the prisoners were given some foodstuffs and biscuits taken from the Burns Philip's store and a bucket of water to drink. At the end of the meal the Japanese made the Bishop, Priests and Sisters promise they would neither leave the island nor do anything against the Japanese Empire. Then soldiers appeared from all directions, the Rising Sun was hoisted on a flagstaff while the Japanese sang a song and then cheered. They then marched off to do elsewhere the same piece of work as the Sisters had witnessed that day. On arriving back at their mission station the Sisters found that the Japanese had used their convent for their meal hall for the day. Supplies of cotton materials had been torn into strips to polish Nipponese guns and all trunks etc. had been opened and articles carried off. At the presbytery the destruction was even greater. The following day the Sisters left Betio for another mission station at Teaoraereke, an islet a little further north of Betio. The Sisters arrived at Teaoraereke after a very rough wet trip across the lagoon where 2 other Sisters were already stationed. There were no extra beds so the Sisters had to sleep on the floor with make shift pillows. The next day the travellers had to wait for their clothes to dry before they could move around. Such is mission life. Then followed months of hardship, life underprimitive conditions, threats, fears and so forth. For two years there was no cargo or news from the rest of the world. Sisters on one Island did not know what was happening on the next island. The Japanese always told us that they were winning the war and soon there would be plenty of ships from Tokyo!! Just before Christmas, 1941 the Japanese returned to Tarawa and the northern islands. Their warships called into these islands and took away 7 New Zealand personnel - wireless operators and coast guards. These prisoners were taken to Japan and were released at the end of the war. Mother M. Clementine, the Superior, remained at Abemama until the 25th March 1942. She was then able to return to Tarawa on a small open boat with a man of mixed race, William Reiher. It was he who had built the mission ship "Santa Teretia". They travelled during the night and stayed at Maiana in the daytime. When they got ashore at Betio, Tarawa, everywhere were signs of war and the passage of the Japanese, but there where no Japanese at that time. Their first visit was early in December, then again at Christmas time. It was about midnight when Mother M. Clementine arrived at the Mission station. She woke the Sisters who were overjoyed to hear her voice as they had no idea where she was. Shortly afterwards five of the Sisters from the southern islands returned to their mission stations at Nonouti and Tabiteuea on the same small boat on which their Superior had travelled on to get from Abemama to Tarawa. Towards the end of August 1942, the Bishop decided to return to his Island of Tabiteuea so he set out from Tarawa on a small launch. He stopped first at Abemama but the Japanese had arrived there the day before. The Bishop was immediately taken into custody and taken back to Tarawa shortly afterwards. There he was kept under guard until the last week of October when he was taken to Butaritari. At Abaiang, north of Tarawa, was a Catholic boarding school, St Joseph's College, for boys from Abaiang and other Islands. They relied on the Mission ship to bring food from their islands several times a year. However, as there was no mission ship now, the Priest in charge of the College, Fr Durand, decided the Marakei boys should return to their own island. A young Priest, Father Marquis, also went to see the Swiss Priest at Marakei. Towards the end of August 1942 the two Priests with the boys and some sailors set out on a very large canoe. The trip to the east of Abaiang should have taken only a few hours. The weather was very bad and there was a strong current. They tried three times - the first time they sailed round the eastside of the island and back into the lagoon. The second time they did not get very far and on the third time sailed off. But the current was too strong and they went north instead of east. They were becalmed for three days then unfortunately were seen by a Japanese ship. Two of them, Father Durance and one of the boys were blindfolded, taken on board and questioned. They were then lowered back on to their canoe, but were not given any food by the Japanese. They then sailed further north and landed at Milli, an island in the Marshall group just north of the Gilbert. Here they found the Japanese well installed with Japanese soldiers everywhere. The Priests and others had no trouble with the guards. However, after a little more than a month these guards were changed. The second lot were far different from the first ones and after a short time the two young Priests died a lonely death at the hands of the Japanese. Some time after, two of the bigger boys tried to escape. They were caught. Later on they tried again, this time one was caught and put to death. The second boy managed to get away on a small boat and caught up with the Americans. He was taken to America by the allies, studied to be a doctor and some time later put in charge of a hospital in the Marshall Islands. After the war the other boys with some of the sailors returned to Abaiang. After the battle of Tarawa the Americans told us that they would not try and take Milli as it was so well fortified. On the 3rd of September 1942 the Japanese returned to Tarawa, this time to stay. They had 9 warships anchored off Tarawa and soldiers poured into Betio, little Tokyo as they called it, to begin strengthening the fortifications. Betio was surrounded by a 5 ft wall built up with rocks and large coconut logs. They had pillboxes, bomb shelters, gun bunkers, trenches etc. with plenty of barbed wire all over the place. They themselves said: "A million men will not take Tarawa in a hundred years." Two of their warships then went round the southern islands gathering up all the English speaking men they could find. They were also going to bring back all the Australian Sisters. This was a terrible anxiety as it meant that a French or an Irish Sister might be left alone on an island. However, when the warships returned to Betio there were not any Sisters on board. A Japanese commander changed the order and left the Sisters on their islands. From the 24 New Zealand personnel who had arrived over a year before, 7 had already been taken away from the northern islands. The remaining 17 were taken from their various islands, and also five other English speaking men were taken prisoners. These were the Government wireless operator, a chemist, a retired Master Mariner, a retired trader and Mr. Sadd (Protestant Missionary). On or about the l5th October 1942 these 22 men were murdered by the Japanese, in most cases after considerable maltreatment. Betio had been shelled from the sea whilst ships were bombed from the air. As soon as the raid was over, all the white men were brutally massacred by the Japanese as a reprisal. On the arrival of the prisoners from the southern islands they had been tied up to coconut trees and left there night and day in the sun and the rain. After several days they were confined in the local psychiatric asylum and then most of them were forced to work on the construction of a wharf at Betio. When the men were being collected from the various islands, the Gilbertese were threatened that if they hid the soldiers or let them escape from their islands the Japanese would shell the island. On one of the islands a young Gilbertese was tied up because he refused to show where the soldier was hiding. The Bishop had been taken to Betio on the same warship as the other prisoners. Before the massacre the Bishop had asked the Japanese commander to be allowed, as a clergyman, to visit them, he met with an unqualified refusal. The Bishop, with a French Priest and a very old Brother were guarded night and day by soldiers with drawn bayonets. On 23rd October 1942 the three were taken by ship from Tarawa further north to Brattier where the Japanese had another garrison of soldiers. From October 1942 until the arrival of the Americans in November 1943 the Sisters had many visits from the Japanese, "social" and otherwise. One sister was asked her nationality; when she said she was French he declared "France and Japan are allied together and we will pop-pop at America". As a rule most of the Japanese left the Missionaries alone but at times would take what they liked. Different things taken were clothes, knives, wine, etc. The Tabernacle key and a crucifix were taken at Abaiang. At Teaoraereke one Japanese had a tug-of-war with an old Sister when she refused to let him take her bucket. Sister won. Another Sister lost two of her frying pans, they were needed to fry their eggs! One time some Japanese took 6 bunches of bananas. The Sisters had very little in the way of food so a complaint was made to an officer. He went and looked in a Japanese small boat, found the bananas hidden under some sacks, belted the soldiers and made them return the bananas to the Sisters. The Sisters were visited another night by 3 other Japanese who went into the Sisters' store, lit a candle and ordered the Sisters to open their cupboards and trunks to get some shoes. The Bishop was told the story so he also complained to a Japanese officer. The commander was informed, the wrongdoers punished and after that no more Japanese were seen around the Convent at night time. Before the war, there were two Japanese traders with their families on the northern island of Brattier. Their children attended the Sisters' school. These two Japanese men returned to the Gilberts and acted as interpreters. Several times they were able to help us when we had trouble with the soldiers. On one occasion at Abaiang a large number of Japanese arrived with field artillery. They claimed to have shot down an American plane and the crew was supposed to have landed on our island of Abaiang. They scoured the whole island from top to bottom, but to no avail. One dapper little Japanese covered in medals even got down on his hands and knees to search under the Priest's bed! The Sisters and Father were lined up on the roadside with cannons and machine guns before them. One of the Sisters was very big, so they thought that the Americans were masquerading as missionary Sisters! However, they were saved by one of the soldiers who had previously visited them with a senior officer who had been kind to them. The same day another Mission station about 5 miles away, was also visited by the Japanese. They were all over the place, but this lot pretended they knew very little English. That evening, two Japanese again visited the Sisters but this time they spoke very good English. There were 3 Sisters here - an elderly French Sister who was in a Gilbertese house near the 2 storey brick convent, and two young Sisters upstairs in the convent. While preparing for bed they were alerted by their small dog barking. Two Japanese were in front of the Convent. The young Irish Sister went down the back stairs while I went out on to the front verandah to talk to them. They said they came to "talk and laugh" with us. While I was talking to them Sister awakened the French Sister and the two of them went across the yard to get the bigger boys. When the Japanese heard the boys approaching they realised we had people to protect us, said goodbye and left us. The following morning when the Japanese came around we complained to our trader friend. No more Japanese visited us at night time. Had we not been alerted by our dog, the two men would probably have been upstairs before we knew they were on the premises. In April 1943 the Japanese commander advised all the Sisters at Teaoraereke to move further north to the islet of Taborio. Since there was nothing to live on there we received permission from the Japanese to go across to the next island, Abaiang. Leaving Teaoraereke was a big job as we had to pack up everything belonging to Teaoraereke and Betio stations, furniture, church linen, pigs, poultry, etc. etc. How many boat loads had to go and men to man them. A French Priest and three Sisters remained at Taborio and all the other Sisters went by night to Abaiang. Six Sisters with one Priest remained at Koinawa, Abaiang and 8 Sisters with three Brothers were at Tabwiroa (St Joseph's College) 5 miles from Koinawa. Four Sisters went to the island of Marakei east of Abaiang. The trip should have taken only a few hours but owing to bad weather it took more than 24 hours. They were isolated there until after the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943. Apart from being annoying, the Japanese never ill- treated or molested us. They gave us very little, but they did not have much themselves. God is very good and looked after us well! A Japanese doctor once gave the Sisters several tins of condensed milk for a sick Sister. Another day they gave six pieces of snow-white soap to wash their "beautiful robes". At Abaiang the Sisters were given some rice that had survived the American bombardment, but the rice was mixed with glass and bits of cement. Also they were given some biscuits - very hard but sweet so had to be soaked before eating. A couple of months before the coming of the Americans 5 Japanese were sent from Betio to install themselves at Koinawa, Abaiang. They settled themselves next door to the convent. The Catholic Church has a very high tower that was used by the Japanese as a lookout. From here they could see the islands of Marakei east, Tarawa just south and Maiana a little further south. Each morning one of the guards would go up to the top of the tower to see if the enemy were approaching. These guards were rather nice men, especially the chief guard. After a month the guards were changed - they were rather a rough lot. About the l8th of November the American Navy arrived off Tarawa, with planes, warships, and submarines and started shelling Betio. They lost a lot of men. Even in Abaiang one could hear explosion after explosion. Ships could be seen in all directions. The chief guard of the Japanese dressed himself up as a Gilbertese woman in a grass skirt and with a wreath of flowers on his head, he ordered some locals to take him over to the Japanese watch tower on the north of Tarawa. On his return he said that the planes were like flies, there were so many. The Japanese put out a notice that no locals were to visit them that day - the 26th November. They gathered up at 11 a.m. the spades, picks and shovels they could find in the village and then polished up their guns, swords and bayonets. Joseph, their Gilbertese interpreter, one of our Catholic young men, was allowed to wait on their table. While lighting their cigarettes and so forth he heard the Japanese say that they would kill all the missionaries at 9 o'clock the following morning as we had given signals to the Americans. Joseph waited until his day's work was done and then obtained permission to go to a local dance. The Japanese never saw Joseph again. He borrowed a bicycle and hurried to the second mission station fivemiles away to warn us of the Japanese threat. Here there were 8 Sisters and 3 Brothers. We kept Joseph with us and seat one of the bigger boys back to the Missionaries near the Japanese with the news. We decided to get Gilbertese men to take us across to Tarawa where we might contact the Americans. We would all try to meet at the south end of the island and get across secretly in the early hours of the morning. We were running into terrible danger as we had been forbidden by the Japanese to cross the ocean stretch between Abaiang and Tarawa. The Missionaries at Koinawa could not get canoes, but travelled on a small old launch. Those at the other mission station left on canoes, two or three Missionaries with a couple of faithful Gilbertese on each canoe. We took Joseph with us. After 9.00 p.m. we all set out silently. Being low tide we had to walk out quite a distance to board our canoes and launch. Some of the elderly Sisters had difficulty in walking so far out to board their craft. But even then we were not out of danger. If the Japanese missed us we would be pursued in canoes. The odds were overwhelmingly against us. Strong winds coming in the wrong direction; rough seas, squalls, then a dead calm. Instead of all waiting at the south end as previously arranged, each craft crossed over the ocean stretch alone. Two of the canoes arrived at the Mission station of Taborio (North Tarawa) the next morning. The rest had all arrived by about 5.00 p.m. As the last canoe and the launch were approaching the shore of North Tarawa a Gilbertese shouted to us to get away as Japanese were still in their foxholes. Then about 3.00 p.m. a soldier in uniform waded out to us through the in-going tide and told us to hurry to Taborio as the Japanese could fire on us. We were so thankful to God who had protected us with His mighty protection. As the last lot of Missionaries arrived safely on the shore of Taborio, a big contingent of American marines emerged from a huge black amphibious tank. They had come across the lagoon from Betio in order to follow up the Japanese who had escaped the terrible Battle of Betio. These Japanese had run round the island, passing through many passages of water in order to reach the northern tip of Tarawa. That night the Americans left soldiers to guard over the mission station in case some Japanese came back to our place. The Americans lost about 40 men in liquidating the remaining Japanese. We received much food, medicine etc. from the American army. They were very generous both to us and to the Gilbertese people. We are very grateful to the Americans, but we owe our escape from death to the courage and resourcefulness of our faithful Gilbertese who risked their own lives to save us all from being massacred. While at Taborio we received many visits from the Americans. They could not understand how we had all got across the sea from Abaiang to Tarawa without being seen by the American guards. This is especially as several hours passed between the first and last canoes. The American General said their guards should be punished. "If you could get across, so could the Japanese. Did you use a smoke screen?" We replied that Our Lady covered us with her mantle. So the guards did not get into trouble. The Sisters remained in Taborio for a week or more and then returned on their canoes to Abaiang. In the meantime the Americans had crossed over to Abaiang and taken the Japanese who were there. The story (by the local people) goes that they were taken on board the American ship and then dumped overboard! Some of the Sisters returned to their former islands, while others took a well-needed holiday to Australia after all the privations and upsets of the past years. The famous Battle of Tarawa was fought by the Americans in November 1943. Tarawa was to be taken from the Japanese in order to have a stepping stone to Tokyo. This battle, one of the most tearful of the whole war, lasted about 4 days and ended with the killing of more than 5,000 Japanese, as well as 2,000 to 3,000 Americans being killed or wounded. In November 1993, 50 years after the battle, many Americans arrived for the celebrations. Among those present was one of the first Marines to go ashore in 1943. He said that the Battle of Tarawa marked America's first major offensive in the Pacific war. It was also the first attempt to make an amphibious assault against a highly fortified enemy position. There were many battles fought by the Americans. They were all bad, but none was remotely like Tarawa. As the Americans were approaching the bench at Betio they were overwhelmed bytargets from the Japanese hiding up the coconut trees. The Battle of Tarawa left Betio so ravaged that not one building nor even a coconut tree was left standing. What of the other Mission Stations: The Japanese did not occupy all the Gilbert Islands. They thought it sufficed, no doubt, that the Rising Sun should front over the principal ones. Away in the north in Butaritari they made a fine display of strength and activity and judged it a good secure place for the Bishop maybe because, with the exception of 2 priests and 2 brothers, he was well away from the other missionaries. But the Bishop gave the Japanese the slip. With his companions they jumped into the water and made their way to a USA ship while the Americans and the Japanese were shooting over their heads. Further south near the Equator, on the island of Abemama, the Catholic Mission had a training school for Gilbertese teachers who, during the period of three years of training, lived on this island with their wives and families. With so many young couples living at Manoku (their village on Abemama), there were many babies. Quite a number of babies had already been buried in their cemetery. However, no sooner had the Japanese installed themselves on Abemama than people of a1l ages and states began to get sick. The first to die was young French Sister, St M. Juliana. The Japanese doctor aid visited her and even sent a tin of butter and some condensed milk but Sister died in October 1942. An epidemic among the babies took many to their graves. The two Missionary Priests were sick, and when planes flew over the young Gilbertese trainees carried the two Priests to safety for fear of bombs. On the 22nd November, the American marines landed on Abemama some miles south of the training school. There were 23 Japanese on the island and when the Japanese knew they were outnumbered, they got panicky and hid in their dugout. As they were in their well-prepared trenches the American marines could make no impression with rifle fire. Then a submarine tried with shells but could not reach the enemy inside. On Friday, 26th there was a strange quietness about the dugouts. On investigating they found all 23 Japanese dead. The officer was apart from the others. Each man had a pistol shot in the throat while the chief was shot in the temple. Did the commanding officer shoot his men first and then kill himself or was the pistol passed from man to man? Thy mystery remains. Here as at Tarawa the Americans were very generous both to the Missionaries and the local people. On the Phosphate Island of Ocean Island were many Gilbertese and Chinese who had been recruited for the work. In 1942, when a Japanese invasion seemed imminent, most of the Europeans and Chinese were evacuated. Father Pujebet and Brother Brummel, MSC, chose to stay with their people. Four Europeans working with the Government and British Commission also stayed. The Japanese did arrive. Both Missionaries were taken by the Japanese to the hospital. Brother did leave the hospital, was seen walking along the beach with two Japanese but never seen again. The remains of neither Missionary have been able to be traced. The four other men also disappeared. When the Missionaries and others were all dead, there remained about 150 Gilbertese and Chinese boys, retained to work for the Japanese. All the others had been shipped off when the food question was becoming a problem. These remaining boys literally slaved, fishing, digging, planting until the fatal August 9th dawned. They were led in parties to rocks that dropped about 15 feet to the sea. There, blindfolded and with hands bound, the helpless victims were bayoneted in the back. The poor men then dropped into the sea. But one Gilbertese lad fell when he was stabbed at; he kept still until the Japanese went elsewhere. He rubbed his bound hands on a sharp rock until the cords gave way and then found a friendly cave where he hid until the British again arrived on the island. At night time he would go out to collect coconuts. He was a chief witness at the Rabaul trials. This particular atrocity by the Japanese is also mentioned in Peter McQuarrie ’ s definitive book Strategic Atolls, Tuvalu and the Second World War (Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, 1994). I have a particular interest in this happening as one of the men who was murdered was my paternal uncle Falailiva (Fly River) Resture. The man who escaped was Kabunare from Nikunau Island in the Southern Gilberts. Please check out Kabunare's verbatim account of this particular atrocitycommitted by the Japanese to innocent I-Kiribati, Tuvaluans, and others, on my Banaba Web site. ... Jane Resture Another incredible adventure story is that of a lad who was seven months at sea in a canoe. Seven Gilbertese at Ocean Island, anticipating a tragic death, slipped off one night on three canoes. It was a frightful venture, and one of the canoes disappeared the second night. Provisions and fresh water were soon finished. They caught some rainwater and then a shark at times. One time they found part of a ship's cargo of tinned food, but their troubles multiplied. The canoes overturned, a shark bit one of the men in the shoulder. At last only one man remained. He drifted and drifted until after seven months he landed upon Manus in the Admiralty Islands. Being too weak to walk ashore or call for help, he half crawled through the low water to the beach, no sooner seen than helped. These friendly locals, like those of many other races in the Pacific, all exhibit the lovely trait of tenderness for the sick and distressed. Our young Gilbertese was able to return later to his own Island and gave his version of Ocean Island during the Japanese occupation. After the war there was again peace in the Pacific, but the numbers were less than before. Many Missionaries died who, in normal times with good food and medical care would have been saved. Quite a lot of buildings had either been destroyed or badly damaged. In the case of the Sisters' Convent at Teaoraereke, the Convent was still standing, but without doors or windows and everything that could be taken was gone, and there were very few coconuts on the trees. It took some time to get rid of all the rubbish left by the Japanese and Americans. With the help of generous workers and with timber given by the U.S. army, everything was ready for the Missionaries to move in. History of Kiribati BACKGROUND Towards the end of the l8th century, two British Captains, Gilbert and Marshall, discovered the central and northern islands of the Gilberts group which they named Gilberts. A group further north were named Marshalls. These islands are fairly close to the island of Makin which is the most northern island in the Gilberts. The Gilbert islands straddling the equator are just west of the International Date Line. The Ellice Islands lie about 320km south of the Gilberts. In 1890 Great Britain took control of the Ellice Islands which consisted of 9 islands. In 1892 the Gilberts became a British Protectorate. Then in 1916 the Ellice Islands were combined with the Gilbert Islands to form the Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony. In 1975 the two groups were separated and the Ellice group became independent in 1978, while the Gilbert Islands group became independent in July 1979. The majority of the coral islands of both Gilberts and Ellice consist of ring shaped atolls or coral reefs that surround lagoons. Since their independence the Ellice group are known as Tuvalu while the Gilberts have changed to Kiribati - the Republic of Kiribati, headed by a president. The Republic of Kiribati consists of 16 islands or atolls in the Gilberts: Ocean Island about 400 kilometres west of Tarawa (Capital of the Republic), and east of the International Dateline, the Phoenix group with 8 islands, 1120 kilometres E.S.E. and the Line Islands - 8 Islands 2400 kilometres east of the Gilberts - a total of 33 islands, the total area being about 5 million square kilometres. The Catholic Mission Diocese also includes the Republic of Nauru with Bishop Paul Mea (Gilbertese) in- charge. Kiribati, Ellice and Nauru have each their own culture and language. Kiribati consists of very small low, white coral islands or atolls, which in most cases have a number of quite small islets which are separated from one another by narrow passages of water from the lagoon side to the ocean. Not all these islets are inhabited. A typical island or atoll is simply a series of very narrow strips of land forming an arc which partially encircles a lagoon on the western side. Tarawa is the most important atoll of the group by reason of the good anchorage. Its deep lagoon provides for ocean-going vessels and it is also the headquarters of the Government, headquarters of the Catholic Mission, the main hospital, the Government Teachers' Training College, large stores and many other offices etc. This island consists of 30 or more islets which before causeways were built, were isolated from each other at high tide. In the 1960's work was commenced on building causeways thus making it much easier to get from one islet to the next. Nowadays motor vehicles can travel to many of these islets. When the Americans were preparing for the actual invasion of Tarawa they took aerial photographs and gave a special name to each of these tiny islets. Prior to World War 1 many people in Australia had never heard of the Gilberts. On a small map there was no mention of them, while a very large map would show only a number of very small dots. However, since the Pacific War and the famous Battle of Tarawa, more is known about them but one still meets people unaware of their existence. In the early days travelling to the different islands was quite difficult, but nowadays airstrips have been built on all the islands to and from Tarawa where the Tarawa air terminal is situated. THE GILBERTESE PEOPLE The Gilbertese people are of Micronesian stock, a very lovable race - very easy-going and have no regard for time. They are noted for their hospitality and will deprive themselves to welcome and feed strangers. It often happens that canoes will be taken out of their course on account of bad weather or contrary currents. They then land on another island where they are well looked after for days or weeks. In 1939 it was the drought time - seven years without any rain. In the southern part of the group small children did not know what any rain was, coconuts were getting smaller and in some cases the trees die. Often the people had very little to eat. Fish was not always easy to catch and their well water became very brackish. Some had to go on their canoes from one islet to another with their buckets or tins in order to get some drinking water. During this time some canoes arrived at their island so the villagers did all they could to welcome and feed these people. Orphanages and places for elderly or very sick people are unheard of as there is always someone to look after them. ` The Gilbertese people are of fine appearance, some among them even being very tall. They seem more vigoro

Federated States of Micronesia

The Federated States of Micronesia comprise a republic located in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Papua New Guinea. The country is a sovereign state in free association with the United States. The Federated States of Micronesia were formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a United Nations Trust Territory under US administration. In 1979 they adopted a constitution, and in 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on U.S. aid. The Federated States of Micronesia are located in the region known as Micronesia, which consists of hundreds of small islands divided in seven territories. The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole.

History

Main article: History of the Federated States of Micronesia The ancestors of the Micronesians settled over 4,000 years ago. A decentralized chieftain-based system eventually evolved into a more centralized economic and religious empire centered on Yap. Nan Madol, consisting of a series of small artificial islands linked by a network of canals, is often called the Venice of the Pacific. It is located near the island of Pohnpei and used to be the ceremonial and political seat of the Saudeleur dynasty that united Pohnpei's estimated 25,000 people from about AD 500 until 1500, when the centralized system collapsed. European explorers - first the Portuguese in search of the Spice Islands (Indonesia) and then the Spanish - reached the Carolines in the 16th century, with the Spanish establishing sovereignty. It passed from German control (1899), via Japanese (1914) to the United States under United Nations auspices in 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. During World War II, a significant portion of the Japanese fleet was based in Truk Lagoon. In February 1944, Operation Hailstone, one of the most important naval battles of the war, took place at Truk, in which many Japanese support vessels and aircraft were destroyed. On May 10, 1979, four of the Trust Territory districts ratified a new constitution to become the Federated States of Micronesia. The FSM signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States of America, which entered into force on November 3, 1986, marking Micronesia's emergence from trusteeship to independence.

Politics

Main article: Politics of the Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia are governed by the 1979 constitution, which guarantees fundamental human rights and establishes a separation of governmental powers. The unicameral Congress has 14 members elected by popular vote. Four senators - one from each state - serve 4-year terms; the remaining 10 senators represent single-member districts based on population, and serve 2-year terms. The President and vice president are elected by Congress from among the four state-based senators to serve 4-year terms in the executive branch. Their congressional seats are then filled by special elections. The president and vice president are supported by an appointed cabinet. There are no formal political parties. In international politics, the Federated States of Micronesia are traditionally known as keen supporters of the State of Israel, voting almost consistently in its favor at the United Nations General Assembly.

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Federated States of Micronesia Geography of the Federated States of Micronesia It consists of 607 islands extending 1,800 miles across the archipelago of the Caroline Islands east of the Philippines. The four constituent island groups are Yap, Chuuk (called Truk until January 1990), Pohnpei (called Ponape until November 1984), and Kosrae. These four states are each represented by a white star on the national flag. The capital is Palikir, on Pohnpei.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Federated States of Micronesia Economic activity of the Federated States of Micronesia consists primarily of subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remoteness of the location and a lack of adequate facilities hinder development. Financial assistance from the US is the primary source of revenue, with the US pledged to spend $1.3 billion in the islands in 1986-2001. Geographical isolation and a poorly developed infrastructure are major impediments to long-term growth.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Federated States of Micronesia The indigenous population of the Federated States of Micronesia, which is predominantly Micronesian, consists of various ethnolinguistic groups. English has become the common language. Population growth remains high at more than 3%, ameliorated somewhat by net emigration. Pohnpei is notable for the prevalence of the extreme form of color blindness known as maskun.

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Federated States of Micronesia. Each of the four States has its own culture and traditions, but there are also common cultural and economic bonds that are centuries old. For example, cultural similarities like the importance of the traditional extended family and clan systems can be found on all the islands. Culture of the Federated States of Micronesia The island of Yap is notable for its stone money (see photograph at right), large disks usually of calcite, up to 4 m (12 ft) in diameter, with a hole in the middle. The islanders know who owns which piece, but do not necessarily move them when ownership changes. There are five major types: Mmbul, Gaw, Ray, Yar, and Reng, this last being only 0.3 m (1 ft) in diameter. Their value is based on both size and history, many of them having been brought from other islands, as far as New Guinea, but most coming in ancient times from Palau. Approximately 6,500 of them are scattered around the island. See also: music of the Federated States of Micronesia

Miscellaneous topics

- Communications in the Federated States of Micronesia
- Foreign relations of the Federated States of Micronesia
- Military of the Federated States of Micronesia
- Transportation in the Federated States of Micronesia

External links

- [http://www.janeresture.com/fedmic/index.htm Jane's Federated States of Micronesia Home Page]
- [http://www.mapsouthpacific.com/micronesia/index.html Map of Micronesia]
- [http://www.southpacific.org/micro.html Moon Handbooks Micronesia]
- [http://www.mymicronesia.com myMicronesia.com] Online resource center about the islands of Micronesia. Provides free listings and links to all Micronesian businesses, as well as civic, cultural, health and educational organizations.
- [http://www.uoregon.edu/~wsayres/NanMadol.html Nan Madol islet complex] Provides computer based reconstruction of the main islets and features.
- [http://www.paclii.org/databases.html#FM Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute - Federated States of Micronesia]
- [http://www.anytravels.com/australia/micronesia/ Travel Overview of Micronesia]
- [http://nature.org/wherewework/asiapacific/micronesia/ Environmental conservation in Micronesia]
- [http://www.visit-fsm.com/ Informations about the Federated States of Micronesia]

Official sites

- [http://www.fsmgov.org Government of the Federated States of Micronesia]

References

# US-CIA. [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/fm.html CIA - The World Factbook: Federated States of Micronesia]. The World Factbook. United States of America: Central Intelligence Agency. 2003.
- Micronesia Micronesia Category:Archipelagoes zh-min-nan:Micronesia Liân-pang-kok ko:미크로네시아 연방 ms:Micronesia ja:ミクロネシア連邦 th:ประเทศไมโครนีเซีย

Wake Island

Wake Island (also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll (having a coastline of 12 miles (19.3 kilometers)) in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu (2,300 statute miles or 3,700 km west) to Guam (1,510 miles or 2,430 km east). It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. Wake is located to the west of the International Date Line and is one day ahead of the 50 states. Access to the island is restricted and all current activities on the island are managed by the United States Air Force, the United States Army and by Chugach McKinley, Inc., a civilian base operations and maintenance services company. Although Wake is officially called an island in the singular form, it is actually an atoll comprised of three islands (Wake, Wilkes, and Peale) surrounding a central lagoon. Referring to the atoll as an island is the result of a pre-World War II desire by the United States Navy to distinguish Wake from other atolls, most of which were Japanese territory. The largest island (also known as Wake Island) is the center of activity on the atoll and is home to a 9,800 foot runway.

Geography

Japan
- Geographic coordinates:
- Area (land): 2.5 mi² (6.5 km²)
- Coastline: 12.0 mi (19.3 km)
- Maritime claims
- exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (370.4 km)
- territorial sea: 12 nm (22.2 km)
- Climate: tropical, with occasional typhoons
- Elevation extremes:
- lowest point: Pacific Ocean, 0 feet (0 meters)
- highest point: unnamed location, 20 feet (6 m)

History

Discovery and Exploration

On October 20, 1568, Álvaro de Mendaña de Neyra, a Spanish explorer with two ships, Los Reyes and Todos Santos, discovered "a low barren island, judged to be eight leagues in circumference," to which he gave the name of "San Francisco." The island was eventually named for Captain Samuel Wake, master of the British trading schooner, Prince William Henry, who visited in 1796. On December 20, 1840, the United States Exploring Expedition commanded by Commodore Charles Wilkes, USN, landed on and surveyed Wake. Wilkes described the atoll as "a low coral one, of triangular form and eight feet above the surface. It has a large lagoon in the centre, which was well filled with fish of a variety of species among these were some fine mullet." He also noted that Wake had no fresh water and that it was covered with shrubs, "the most abundant of which was the tournefortia." Th