Lib Island Explained

Lib Island
Map:Marshall Islands
Location:North Pacific
Coordinates:8.3125°N 167.3792°W
Country: Marshall Islands
Archipelago:Ralik
Total Islands:1
Area Km2:0.93
Elevation M:3
Population:156
Population As Of:2021
Ethnic Groups:Marshallese

Lib Island (Marshallese: Marshallese: Ellep, [1]) is an island in the Pacific Ocean. It is a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is . The population of Lib Island was 156 as per the 2021 census.[2]

History

The first recorded sighting by Europeans of Lib Island happened on 8 January 1565 by Spanish navigator Alonso de Arellano commanding patache San Lucas. It was charted by Arellano as Los Nadadores ("The Swimmers" in Spanish). In his account of the sighting, Arellano stated that the inhabitants of Lib would be fine for pulling an oar in a galley, being big and well made, and were warlike people, being expert in throwing stones with slings. He also expressed an opinion that they must be of the Devil because their island was a thousand leagues from firm land.[3]

Captain Thomas Dennet of the British vessel Britannia sighted the island in 1797 on route from Australia to China and named it Princess Island.[4]

Education

Marshall Islands Public School System operates Lib Elementary School.[5]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Marshallese-English Dictionary - Place Name Index . Austronesian Dictionaries at Trussel2.com. live. 1 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220701180428/https://www.trussel2.com/mod/LocE.htm.
  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. Book: Sharp, Andrew. The discovery of the Pacific Islands. Oxford. 1960. 34. 1148833946 .
  4. Book: Sharp . Andrew . The Discovery of the Pacific Islands . 1962 . Clarendon Press . Oxford . 177–8 . Second . 221102993 .
  5. "Public Schools ." Marshall Islands Public School System. Retrieved on February 21, 2018.