Ailuk Atoll Explained

Ailuk Atoll
Map:Marshall Islands
Location:North Pacific
Coordinates:10.3278°N 169.9333°W
Country:
Archipelago:Ratak
Total Islands:57
Area Km2:5.4
Elevation M:3
Population:235
Population As Of:2021
Ethnic Groups:Marshallese

Ailuk Atoll (Marshallese: Marshallese: Aelok, [1]) is a coral atoll of 57 islets in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is located approximately 72km (45miles) north from Wotje. Its total land area is only 5.4km2, but it encloses a lagoon with an area of 177.45km2. The major islets are: Ajelep, Aliej, Ailuk, Alkilwe, Barorkan, Biken, Enejabrok, Enejelar, Kapen and Marib. Most of the islets are on the eastern side of the atoll. The western and southern sides of the atoll have a nearly continuous submerged coral reef, with three main passes that lead into the lagoon: Erappu Channel, Marok Channel and Eneneman Channel on the west side.

Ailuk Atoll had a population of 235 in 2021.[2]

History

First recorded sighting of Ailuk Atoll by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi on 10 January 1565. It was charted as Los Placeres (The Pleasures in Spanish).[3] [4] Two of its islets were charted as San Pedro and San Pablo, those being the names of the flagship ("capitana") and the "almiranta" (secondary ship or ship of the Admiral)[5]

Ailuk Atoll was claimed by the German Empire along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1885.[6] 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.

In December 2020, Marshall Islands police found a 5.5-meter (18-foot) fibreglass boat at Ailuk Atoll with 649 kilograms (1,430 pounds) of cocaine worth an estimated US$80 million. This was the largest drug bust in Marshall Islands history.[7]

Education

Marshall Islands Public School System operates public schools:[8]

Northern Islands High School on Wotje serves the community.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.trussel2.com/MOD/LocA.htm#Aelok Marshallese-English Dictionary - Place Name Index
  2. Web site: Republic of the Marshall Islands 2021 Census Report, Volume 1: Basic Tables and Administrative Report . May 30, 2023 . Pacific Community (SPC): Statistics for Development Division . . September 27, 2023.
  3. Sharp, Andrew The discovery of the Pacific Islands Oxford, 1960, p.38.
  4. Brand, Donald D. The Pacific Basin: A History of its Geographical Explorations The American Geographical Society, New York, 1967, p.129.
  5. Coello, Francisco "Conflicto hispano-alemán" Boletín de Sociedad Geográfica de Madrid, t.XIX. 2º semestre 1885, Madrid, p.286
  6. Churchill . William . William Churchill (ethnologist) . 1920 . Germany's Lost Pacific Empire . 207706 . Geographical Review . 10 . 2 . 84.
  7. News: Record cocaine haul found on ‘ghost boat’ in Marshall Islands . December 17, 2020 . aljazeera.com . Al Jazeera English . December 17, 2020 . en.
  8. "Public Schools ." Marshall Islands Public School System. Retrieved on February 21, 2018.
  9. "Annual Report 2011-2012 ." Ministry of Education (Marshall Islands). Retrieved on February 22, 2018. p. 54 (PDF p. 55/118). "Northern Islands High School takes students from the Ratak Ean zone including schools in Aur, Maloelap, Wotje, Ailuk, Utrik, Likiep and Mejit."

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