Birnie is the smallest atoll in the Phoenix Archipelago (Republic of Kiribati ), located 398 km south of the equator . Coordinates: Island area - 20 ha. Uninhabited (2010).
| Byrne | |
|---|---|
| English Birnie | |
 | |
| Specifications | |
| total area | 0.2 km² |
| Population | 0 pax (2010) |
| Location | |
| Water area | Pacific Ocean |
| A country |
|
| Region | Phoenix Islands |
Geography
Birni is less than 1.2 km long and 0.5 km wide. The eastern side of the atoll is rocky, covered with debris of coral . The northern side of the island is flat, covered with undersized grasses. Large colonies of birds huddle on the island.
A shallow lagoon occupies the low part of the atoll, surrounded by vegetation. The difference in depths in it is very high: in some places it reaches 1.8 meters, in other places a few centimeters. In the drier months, the lagoon often dries up.
Byrne Atoll is one of the driest islands in the Phoenix Archipelago , with an average annual rainfall of 600-800 mm.
History
Byrne Atoll was discovered and named captain Emmett in 1823 (the same year he discovered the island of Sydney (or Manra). The island is named after the owner of the ship, Alexander Birni.
On August 28, 1840, the Vincent ship sailed past the atoll under the command of Captain Wilks, on board of which there was an American research expedition. After exploring the island of Enderbury , the ship tried to return to the island of Birni, but due to the onset of a deep night, the crew could not find it.
In the 1860s, Birni Island was declared US territory by the Guano Act , but there is no evidence of the development of guano on the atoll. On December 6, 1867, the ship Kamehameha V sailed past the island under the command of Captain Stone.
On July 10, 1889, a protectorate of the British Empire was established over the island. In 1889, the island was leased to the Pacific Island Company. In 1916, Birni was leased for a period of 87 years to Captain Ellen (Samoan Shipping and Trading Company). In April 1937, the island came under the jurisdiction of the British colony of Gilbert Island and Ellis (now two independent states of Kiribati and Tuvalu ). Attempts were made to colonize the island, but they were unsuccessful as well as the creation of a coconut palm plantation in 1939 .
In June 1938, Birni Atoll was declared a marine reserve (in total, 22 species of birds live on the island, 6 of which nest in the reserve).
Links
- Wildlife Sanctuary information (inaccessible link) . Archived on September 29, 2007.
- More information and history