Alamagan

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alamagan
Alamagan seen from the west
Alamagan seen from the west
Waters Pacific Ocean
Archipelago Mariana Islands
Geographical location 17 ° 36 '2 "  N , 145 ° 50' 0"  E Coordinates: 17 ° 36 '2 "  N , 145 ° 50' 0"  E
Location of Alamagan
length 4.8 km
width 4 km
surface 13 km²
Highest elevation Bandeera Peak
744  m
Residents 7th (2005)
<1 inh / km²
main place Alamagan Village

Alamagan is a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean . It belongs geographically to the archipelago of the Marianas and politically to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands .

geography

Alamagan is located 30 kilometers north of the island of Guguan , about 60 km south of the island of Pagan and about 250 kilometers north of Saipan , the main island of the Northern Mariana Islands. The slightly elliptical island is 4.8 kilometers long, about 4 kilometers wide and has an area of ​​13 km².

Alamagan's climate is shaped by the northeast trade winds. Heavy showers are common except in late spring and early summer . The annual precipitation is estimated at 1,800 to 2,000 millimeters. Typhoons can occur especially between August and December .

Alamagan is the summit of a largely submerged stratovolcano with a base diameter of 15 kilometers. The volcanic crater with a diameter of 700 to 900 meters and a depth of about 370 meters is located in the eastern part of the island. The highest point on the island, Bandeera Peak with a height of 744 meters, is on the northwestern rim of the crater. By volcanic eruptions three smaller cone emerged north, northwest and south of the main crater. No eruptions of the volcano are known from historical times; by radiocarbon dating, two eruptions have been dated approximately AD 540 and 870. Fumaroles are active in the main crater and on its western slope .

The steepest slopes with a slope of up to 45 ° can be found in the east of the island . Extensive landslides often occur here . The western slope in particular is characterized by gorges up to 60 meters deep , which are the result of heavy showers. The island is surrounded by cliffs that are over 100 meters high in the east.

history

Archaeological finds, including stone columns (so-called latte stones ) and ceramics, indicate that Alamagan was settled by Chamorros . From a European perspective, the island was discovered in 1669 by the Spanish missionary Diego Luis de Sanvitores . In 1695 the islanders were deported to Saipan Island and from there to Guam three years later .

Previously a Spanish colony , Alamagan was sold to the German Empire in 1899 as part of the Northern Mariana Islands and belonged to the German New Guinea colony until 1914 . At that time the island was leased to the Pagan Society , a society that traded copra in particular . When the German district administrator Georg Fritz visited Alamagan in May 1901, 10 workers were living in huts in the south of the island. 50 tons of copra were extracted annually. At the end of 1904, in September 1905, in September 1907 and in December 1913, severe typhoons almost completely destroyed the coconut plantations. According to estimates from 1912, Alamagan had 50 hectares of coconut plantations ; However, due to a lack of capital, the Pagan Society could not systematically manage the plantations.

Between 1919 and 1944, Alamagan was administered by Japan as part of the South Seas Mandate . From 1947 the island was part of the United States Pacific Islands Trust Territory ; since 1978 to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands . The island remained inhabited and was still used to obtain copra. There are two settlements on Alamagan, Songsong in the south and Patida Camp in the northwest. In 1962 the population had dropped so much that the primary school on Alamagan was closed due to a lack of students. According to the census results, six people lived on Alamagan in 2000, while the island is said to have been uninhabited in 2010. The residents were evacuated several times because of feared volcanic eruptions. In December 1998, five people were evacuated by helicopter. This was due to reports of increased steam escaping, which was later attributed to meteorological causes.

Alamagan is home to the endangered reed warbler ( Acrocephalus luscinia ).

literature

  • Russell E. Brainard et al .: Coral reef ecosystem monitoring report of the Mariana Archipelago: 2003-2007. (= PIFSC Special Publication , SP-12-01) NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center 2012 ( Chapter Alamagan (English, PDF, 12.2 MB)).
  • Richard B. Moore, Frank A. Trusdell: Geologic map of Alamagan Volcano, northern Mariana Islands. United States Geological Survey 1993 ( download ).

Web links

Commons : Alamagan Island  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Brainard, Coral reef ecosystem monitoring report , p. 1 (English, PDF, 12.2 MB)
  2. ↑ Moore, Trusdell, Geologic map , Section Climate, Structure, and Morphology.
  3. ↑ Dirk HR Speenemann: Combining Curiosity with Political Skill: The Antiquarian Interests and Cultural Politics of Georg Fritz. In: Micronesian journal of the humanities and social sciences , 2006 (5), pp. 495–504, here p. 498 (English, PDF, 7.6 MB).
  4. ^ Georg Fritz: Journey to the northern Marianas. In: Communications from explorers and scholars from the German protected areas , 1902 (15), pp. 96–118, here pp. 103f (pdf, 3.7 MB).
  5. ↑ Gerd Hardach: King Copra. The Mariana Islands under German rule 1899–1914. Steiner, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-515-05762-5 , pp. 124f, 133, 135-137.
  6. ↑ Brainard, Coral reef ecosystem monitoring report , p. 1f (English, PDF, 12.2 MB)
  7. ↑ False eruption report . Monthly report 01/1999 in the Global Volcanism Program (accessed January 11, 2013).