Ailuk (Aeluk) ( English Ailuk , Marsh. Aelok [ ɑ̯ɑ͡æe̯elʲe͡okʷ ] ) - an atoll in the Pacific Ocean in the chain Ratak ( Marshall Islands ). Historical names - Kruzenshtern Atoll, Piscador ( born Piscadore ), Watts ( born Watts ), Tyndall ( born Tindal ).
Ailuk | |
---|---|
march. Aelok | |
Specifications | |
Number of islands | 55 |
total area | 5.36 km² |
Highest point | 3m |
Population | 339 people (2011) |
Population density | 63.25 people / km² |
Location | |
Archipelago | Chain Ratak |
Water area | Pacific Ocean |
A country |
|
Content
Geography
The atoll is located 72 km north of the atoll of Jaluit . The nearest mainland, Australia , is located in 3800 km [1] .
Ailuk has a triangular shape. Consists of 55 islets, or motu [2] . The land area of the island is 5.36 km², the lagoons are 177.34 km² [3] . Vegetation on Ailuke is typical of other Pacific atolls.
Coconut palms , which are grown on local plantations for the production of copra , are predominant.
The climate on Ailuka is tropical . Destructive cyclones happen [1] .
History
According to the mythological ideas of the Marshallians, the island was created by the god Lova [4] .
Ailuk was first discovered by Europeans on January 10, 1565 . This was done by the Spanish traveler Miguel Lopez de Legazpi [5] [6] . Subsequently, many merchant and whaling ships sailed past the island.
In the 1860s, the first German traders began to appear on the Marshall Islands, and in 1874 Spain officially announced its claims to the archipelago [7] . On October 22, 1885, the Marshall Islands were sold by Spain to Germany , which controlled the archipelago through the Jaluit company . Officially, the German protectorate over the islands was established on September 13, 1886 [7] . From April 1, 1906, all the islands of the archipelago were part of German New Guinea , submitting to the district officer of the Caroline Islands . In 1914, the Marshall Islands were invaded by the Japanese [7] . In 1922, the islands became the mandate territory of the League of Nations under the administration of Japan . Since 1947, the archipelago has become part of the Pacific Islands under the Mandate of the United States [7] . In 1979, the Marshall Islands gained limited autonomy, and in 1986, the Free Association Agreement was signed with the United States, according to which the United States recognized the independence of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Since then, Ailuk has been part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands .
Population
In 2011, the population of Ailuk was 339 . Ailuk forms one of the 33 municipalities of the Marshall Islands [8] . In the lower house of the country's parliament ( Marsh. Nitijela ), the island is represented by one deputy [9] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 UN SYSTEM-WIDE EARTHWATCH Web Site . Marshall Islands. (eng.)
- ↑ Table 1.1. Geography of the Marshall Islands. (eng.)
- ↑ Ailuk Island. (eng.)
- ↑ Virginia Hamilton, Barry Moser. In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World. - Harcourt Trade, 1988. - pp. 105-106.
- ↑ History of the Marshall Islands. (English) (inaccessible link - history ) .
- ↑ Dirk HR Spennemann . Ships sailing past the island until 1885. (eng.)
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 World Statesmen.org . Marshall Islands. (eng.)
- ↑ Office of the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The Nitijela (Parliament). (eng.) . The appeal date is May 29, 2008. Archived August 10, 2011.
- ↑ Marshall Islands Constitution, Art. 4, § 2, paragraph 1.