Penrhyn Island
Encyclopedia
Penrhyn
is the most remote and largest atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
of the 15 Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
in the south Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Geography
Located at 1365 km (848.2 mi) north-north-east of RarotongaRarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
, 9 degrees
9th parallel south
The 9th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 9 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America....
south of the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
. It sits atop the highest submarine volcano in the Cooks, 4876 m (15,917 ft) above the ocean floor. It comprises a ring of coral 77 km (47.8 mi) around. The lagoon covers 233 square kilometres (90 mile²) of which 62 square kilometres (24 mile²) is covered with pearlshell.
Land area is 9.84 square kilometres (2,432 acres). Maximum elevation less than 5 m. Population according to the 2001 census was 357. As of 2006 the population of the island has shrunk to only 200 or so inhabitants according to the current mayor of the island.
Villages
Penrhyn Atoll has two villages. The main village of OmokaOmoka
Omoka is the larger of the two main settlements on Penrhyn Island in the Cook Islands. It is the location of the Penrhyn island Council, and is located on Moananui Islet in the far west of the Penrhyn Atoll....
, seat of Penrhyn Island Council, is on Moananui Islet, on the western rim of the atoll, north of the airport. The village of Te Tautua is on Pokerere Islet, on the eastern rim.
The religion of the inhabitants of the island is notoriously divided, 75% of the population belong to the Cook Islands Christian Church while the remaining 25% belong to the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Etymology
Penrhyn's original name is Tongareva. Academic research published by the Cook Islands Library and Museum says this is variously translated as "Tonga floating in space", "Tonga-in-the-skies" and "A way from the South". However, the most commonly-used name in English is Penrhyn after the Lady PenrhynLady Penrhyn (ship)
The Lady Penrhyn was a First Fleet transport ship of 333 tons, built on the River Thames in 1786. Her master, William Compton Sever, was part-owner. Nicholas anstis was second in command....
commanded by Captain William Cropton Sever who landed on 8 August 1788. Another European name was Bennett Island. The Lady Penrhyn was one of a fleet of 11 ships
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
which sailed from the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
(off the south coast of the UK) to found the earliest convict colony in Australia
Slavery
In 1864, Penrhyn was almost depopulated by Peruvian-Spaniard expeditions. An estimated 1,000 men, women and children were taken to South America. Native pastors of the London Missionary Society had introduced Christianity from Rarotonga in 1854, the new religion had been accepted enthusiastically, and the villagers immediately started to build churches. Promise of good pay and safe return from the slavers offered a way to obtain money for churches, but most died in exile, virtually slaves.Another source states that, in 1863, 410 inhabitants of the total population of about 500 were kidnapped by blackbirding
Blackbirding
Blackbirding is a term that refers to recruitment of people through trickery and kidnappings to work as labourers. From the 1860s blackbirding ships were engaged in seeking workers to mine the guano deposits on the Chincha Islands in Peru...
by the Peruvian-Spaniard explorers who were assisted by four native missionary teachers, who sold the populators for 5 dollars per capita. The missionaires accompanied the slaves to Peru as their interpreters.
Foreign claims
From 1856 to 1980, the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
claimed sovereignty over the island under the Guano Islands Act
Guano Islands Act
The Guano Islands Act is federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress, on August 18, 1856. It enables citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. The islands can be located anywhere, so long as they are not occupied and not within the jurisdiction of other...
. In 1980, the U.S. signed a treaty
Cook Islands – United States Maritime Boundary Treaty
The Cook Islands – United States Maritime Boundary Treaty is a 1980 treaty that establishes the maritime boundary between the Cook Islands and American Samoa. It resolved a number of territorial disputes between the Cook Islands and the United States....
with the Cook Islands in which it acknowledged that the island was under Cook Islands sovereignty.
Economy & resources
During World War II, a substantial airstrip was built, which is still used today although flights to the atoll are not regular.A large passage in the lagoon allows inter-island ships to enter the lagoon, and the island has become popular as a stopover for yachts crossing the Pacific from Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The inter-island Taio shipping company visits the island approximately every three months.
Black pearl farming
Black pearlBlack Pearl
The Black Pearl, originally Wicked Wench, is a fictional ship in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. In the screenplay, the Black Pearl is easily recognized by her distinctive black hull and sails. The ship was originally named Wicked Wench before she was ordered burned and sunk by Lord Beckett...
farming is the only significant economic activity on the island. The locally produced Rito hats, woven from coconut fibre, are considered the finest in the whole South Pacific. The fibre is from young coconut leaves which are stripped, boiled and dried resulting in a fine white leaf. Called rito weaving, the traditional items woven are Sunday church fans, small baskets and hats, the hats being a copy of the ones the sailors wore.
Food
The present population of the island rely on the ocean for most of their food as well as locally grown plants such as coconut and breadfruit. Every morning (except on Sundays) men from the island head out in small tin boats to spear or trawl for fish for their families. The islanders' diet is supplemented by imported rice and flour shipped in from RarotongaRarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
. The boats are infrequent (usually every 3 months); however, the boat is often late and the people of Penrhyn are forced to make do with what food they can provide for themselves.