Starbuck ( Starbuck Island ) - an uninhabited atoll in the Line archipelago ( Kiribati ). It is located 678 km south of the equator , 378 km north-east of Tongarev Island , 555 km north-west of Vostok Island, 643 km southeast of Jarvis Island and 204 km from Malden Island. The area of the island is 21 km². The highest point of the atoll is 8 m.
| Starbuck | |
|---|---|
| English Starbuck island | |
 | |
| Specifications | |
| total area | 21 km² |
| Highest point | 8 m |
| Population | 0 pax (2010) |
| Location | |
| Water area | Pacific Ocean |
| A country |
|
| Region | Line Islands |
Geography
Starbuck Island is a small atoll with several salty lagoons and a very large population of black tern and other seabirds. The island is currently a nature reserve .
The island is a low-lying, arid limestone atoll bordered by reefs . From west to east, the island has a length of 8.9 km, from north to south - 3.5 km. In the southeast of the island there are a large number of salty and often drying out lagoons. There is no permanent source of fresh water on the atoll. The soil of the island is predominantly formed from coral sand. Starbuck is one of the driest atolls in the Line archipelago. The annual rainfall is 800 mm. Winds are mainly east.
History
Starbuck Island was discovered in 1823 by Valentin Starbuck , captain of the English whaling ship L'Aigle. He named it Volunteer Island .
In 1886, mining of guano began on the island. Currently, the island is the territory of the Republic of Kiribati.