Orona Atoll
Encyclopedia
Orona atoll, also known as Hull Island, is one of the Phoenix Islands
in the Republic of Kiribati
. measures approximately 8.8 km by 4 km, and like Kanton, is a narrow ribbon of land surrounding a sizable lagoon with depths of 15–20 metres. Numerous passages connect the lagoon to the surrounding ocean, only a couple of which will admit even a small boat. Total land area is 3.9 km2, and the maximum elevation is nine metres.
Although occupied at various times during the past, including as late as 2004, Orona is uninhabited today.
, Orona is covered with coconut palms (mostly on the western side), towering 12–18 metres above the surface. The remainder of the atoll is covered with scrub forest, herbs and grasses, with a maximum height of 6–12 metres. Feral cats exist on the island, together with rats, pigs and dogs. Ducks and chickens were raised by the former inhabitants, but it is unknown whether any remain. Orona also boasts three species of lizards, Polynesian rats, land and hermit crabs, together with approximately fifty species of insects. Turtles are also known to use the island as a nesting area.
Unlike Manra, whose lagoon is too salty for marine life, Orona's lagoon teems with fish and giant clams.
Two color photos of Orona can be seen at.
stands on the eastern tip of the island, together with ruins of shelters, graves and other platforms.
No one is certain who discovered Orona or when, but history shows that it was named "Hull Island" in honor of Commodore Isaac Hull
, U.S.N. by Commander Charles Wilkes
of the USS Vincennes
when he visited the island on 26 August 1840 in the United States Exploring Expedition
. It continued to be generally known by this name until the Republic of Kiribati was granted independence in 1979, when its name was changed to the I-Kiribati Orona.
Unlike Manra, Orona does not seem to have been worked for guano
, and was apparently not claimed (unlike the other Phoenix Islands) by American guano diggers. The British flag was raised there on 11 July 1889, and the island became part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
colony. Orona was leased in 1916 to a Captain Allen of the "Samoan Shipping and Trading Company", and became a copra
plantation. Allen's lease was bought out by the British government in 1938.
It was one of the islands involved in the Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme
, the final colonial expansion of the British Empire
. Residents were evacuated in 1963, due to persistent drought and the declining copra market. Photos of the abandoned settlement, Arariki
, circa 1967, may be seen here.
British and American claims to the island ended in 1979 with the independence of Kiribati from Great Britain and the signing of the Treaty of Tarawa
by the United States.
The island was briefly reoccupied between 2001 and 2004 by trepangers
from the Gilbert Islands
supported by a patrol boat of the Kiribati Navy.
Orona, together with the other Phoenix Islands, was proclaimed in 2008 to be part of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area
, the world's largest marine protected area.
Phoenix Islands
The Phoenix Islands are a group of eight atolls and two submerged coral reefs, lying in the central Pacific Ocean east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands. They are a part of the Republic of Kiribati. During the late 1930s they became the site of the last attempted colonial...
in the Republic of Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
. measures approximately 8.8 km by 4 km, and like Kanton, is a narrow ribbon of land surrounding a sizable lagoon with depths of 15–20 metres. Numerous passages connect the lagoon to the surrounding ocean, only a couple of which will admit even a small boat. Total land area is 3.9 km2, and the maximum elevation is nine metres.
Flora and fauna
Like ManraManra Island
Manra Island or Sydney Island, is one of the Phoenix Islands in the Republic of Kiribati. It lies at . W. longitude, and has an area of 4.4 km2. and an elevation of approximately six meters...
, Orona is covered with coconut palms (mostly on the western side), towering 12–18 metres above the surface. The remainder of the atoll is covered with scrub forest, herbs and grasses, with a maximum height of 6–12 metres. Feral cats exist on the island, together with rats, pigs and dogs. Ducks and chickens were raised by the former inhabitants, but it is unknown whether any remain. Orona also boasts three species of lizards, Polynesian rats, land and hermit crabs, together with approximately fifty species of insects. Turtles are also known to use the island as a nesting area.
Unlike Manra, whose lagoon is too salty for marine life, Orona's lagoon teems with fish and giant clams.
Two color photos of Orona can be seen at.
History
Like Manra, Orona contains evidence of prehistoric Polynesian inhabitation. An ancient stone maraeMarae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
stands on the eastern tip of the island, together with ruins of shelters, graves and other platforms.
No one is certain who discovered Orona or when, but history shows that it was named "Hull Island" in honor of Commodore Isaac Hull
Isaac Hull
-External links:* *...
, U.S.N. by Commander Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
of the USS Vincennes
USS Vincennes (1826)
USS Vincennes was a 703-ton Boston-class sloop of war in the United States Navy from 1826 to 1865. During her service, Vincennes patrolled the Pacific, explored the Antarctic, and blockaded the Confederate Gulf coast in the Civil War. Named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Vincennes, she was...
when he visited the island on 26 August 1840 in the United States Exploring Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
. It continued to be generally known by this name until the Republic of Kiribati was granted independence in 1979, when its name was changed to the I-Kiribati Orona.
Unlike Manra, Orona does not seem to have been worked for guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
, and was apparently not claimed (unlike the other Phoenix Islands) by American guano diggers. The British flag was raised there on 11 July 1889, and the island became part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Gilbert and Ellice Islands
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a British protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 until 1 January 1976, when the islands were divided into two different colonies which became independent nations shortly after...
colony. Orona was leased in 1916 to a Captain Allen of the "Samoan Shipping and Trading Company", and became a copra
Copra
Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...
plantation. Allen's lease was bought out by the British government in 1938.
It was one of the islands involved in the Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme
Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme
The Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme was begun in 1938 in the western Pacific ocean and was the last attempt at human colonisation within the British Empire.Conceived by Henry E...
, the final colonial expansion of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. Residents were evacuated in 1963, due to persistent drought and the declining copra market. Photos of the abandoned settlement, Arariki
Arariki
Arariki is a former settlement on the western side of Orona, a remote atoll in the Phoenix Islands group and part of the Republic of Kiribati.-History:...
, circa 1967, may be seen here.
British and American claims to the island ended in 1979 with the independence of Kiribati from Great Britain and the signing of the Treaty of Tarawa
Treaty of Tarawa
On September 20, 1979, representatives of the newly independent Republic of Kiribati and of the United States met in Tarawa to sign a treaty of friendship between the two nations, known as the Treaty of Tarawa. In this treaty, the U.S. acknowledged Kiribati sovereignty over fourteen islands...
by the United States.
The island was briefly reoccupied between 2001 and 2004 by trepangers
Trepanging
Trepanging is the Anglicisation of the act of collection or harvesting of sea cucumbers, known in Indonesian, as "trepang".The collector or fisher of trepang is coined a trepanger....
from the Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
supported by a patrol boat of the Kiribati Navy.
Orona, together with the other Phoenix Islands, was proclaimed in 2008 to be part of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area
Phoenix Islands Protected Area
The Phoenix Islands Protected Area is located in the Republic of Kiribati, an ocean nation in the central Pacific approximately midway between Australia and Hawaii. PIPA constitutes 11.34% of Kiribati’s Exclusive Economic Zone and with a size of it is the largest marine protected area in the...
, the world's largest marine protected area.