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Ailinginae Atoll

NASA photo of Ailinginae Atoll
Map of Ailingnae Atoll
Ailinginae AtollLocation in the Marshall Islands
Geography
Location	North Pacific
Coordinates	11°10′N 166°20′E / 11.167°N 166.333°E / 11.167; 166.333
Archipelago	Ralik
Total islands	25
Area	2.8 km (1.1 sq mi)
Highest elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Administration
Marshall Islands
Demographics
Population	0
Ethnic groups	Marshallese (former)

Ailinginae Atoll (Marshallese: Aelōn̄in Ae, ) is an uninhabited (due to Castle Bravo nuclear testing) coral atoll of 25 islands in the Pacific Ocean, on the northern end of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only 2.8 square kilometers (1.1 sq mi), but it encloses a lagoon of 105.96 square kilometers (40.91 sq mi). It is located approximately 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) west of Rongelap Atoll. The landscape is low-lying with only the top 3 meters (9.8 ft) above sea level. The two entrances into the lagoon are 'Mogiri Pass' and 'Eniibukku Pass'. These are 1.45 and 0.48 kilometers (0.9 and 0.3 mi) wide respectively.

The average temperature of these islands is about 27 °C (81 °F) during daytime and slightly warmer during night-time due to cold weather associated with rain showers during daytime. The rainy season is from September through November. The island is covered with 29 species of plants scrub, grasses and some stands of Pisonia grandis trees.

History

The first sighting recorded by Europeans was by the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra on 1 January 1528. Together with Utirik Atoll and Rongelap Atoll, they were charted as Islas de los Reyes (Islands of the Three Wise Kings in Spanish) due to the proximity of Epiphany

Ailinginae Atoll was claimed by the German Empire along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1885. After World War I, the island came under the South Seas Mandate of the Empire of Japan. Following the end of World War II, it came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986. Ailinginae Atoll has been uninhabited since 1954 when the few islanders were evacuated due to nuclear fallout fears from the Castle Bravo test at Bikini Atoll to the northwest.

See also

• Also contaminated by Castle Bravo test: Rongelap Atoll, Utirik Atoll, Rongerik Atoll
• Desert island
• List of islands

References

1. Marshallese-English Dictionary - Place Name Index
2. Releford, Jodi Stevens;Stevens, Jonathan;Bridges, K. W.;McClatchey, Will C.Flora of Rongelap and Ailinginae Atolls, Republic of the Marshall Islands [https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/8006[
3. Brand, Donald D. The Pacific Basin: A History of its Geographical Explorations The American Geographical Society, New York, 1967, p.121
4. Churchill, William (1920). "Germany's Lost Pacific Empire". Geographical Review. 10 (2): 84. JSTOR 207706.

• Ailinginae Atoll Fact Sheet

External links

• "Oceandots site". Archived from the original on 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2010-07-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
• Marshall Islands site
• Map of Ailinginae Atoll 1893
• Geography of the Marshall Islands, including Ailinginae Atoll

v t e Marshall Islands articles
History	John Marshall German New Guinea Naval Base Marshall Islands South Seas Mandate Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Pacific Proving Grounds Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll Colonial governors
Geography	Administrative divisions Climate Climate change Islands Seamounts Towns and villages Ratak Chain (Sunrise, Eastern) Bokak (Taongi) Bikar Utirik Toke Mejit Ailuk Jemo Likiep Wotje Erikub Maloelap Aur Majuro Arno Mili Knox (Nadikdik) (Limalok) Ralik Chain (Sunset, Western) Enewetak (Lo-En) (Lomilik) Ujelang Bikini (Wōdejebato) Rongerik Rongelap (Ruwitūntūn) Ailinginae Wotho Ujae Lae Kwajalein (Lemkein) Lib Namu Jabat Ailinglaplap Jaluit Kili Namdrik Ebon
Politics	Constitution of the Marshall Islands Compact of Free Association Elections Foreign relations Law enforcement Legislature LGBT rights Military Political parties President U.S. government Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site
Economy	Telecommunications Transport Exports
Culture	Anthem Demographics Flag Language Music Public holidays Religion Seal Education College of the Marshall Islands Public School System Jaluit HS Kwajalein Atoll HS Laura HS Marshall Islands HS Northern Islands HS Kwajalein Jr./Sr. HS (USAF) Majuro Cooperative School Delap SDA School NRHP listings Debrum House Marshall Islands War Memorial Park Roi-Namur
Bold indicates populated islands Italics indicate single island (parenthesis) indicates a submarine feature

• Atolls of the Marshall Islands
• Ralik Chain
• Former populated places in Oceania
• Uninhabited islands of the Marshall Islands