Mortlock Islands
| Mortlock Islands | ||
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| archipelago | Carolines | |
| Geographical location | 5 ° 30 ′ N , 153 ° 40 ′ E | |
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| Number of islands | 3 atolls | |
| Main island | Satawan Island | |
| Total land area | 10.1 km² | |
| Residents | 4634 (2000) | |
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The Mortlock Islands (also Nomoi Islands ) are an archipelago of three atolls in the central Pacific Ocean , located in the Caroline Archipelago . The islands belong to the state of Chuuk of the Federated States of Micronesia . The islands are located in the southeast of the state and the island region of Mortlocks .
The atolls of the group were first sighted by Europeans in 1795 by the English captain James Mortlock, who was on his way home from Australia to England with the merchant ship Young William .
The largest atoll in the group is Satawan . The other two are Etal and Lukunor . The three atolls are close together. Etal is 6.8 km north of Satawan, and Lukunor 8 km northeast. The closest atoll, Namoluk , which is no longer part of the Mortlock Islands, is more than 50 km to the northwest.
The island's population speaks its own Micronesian language , Mortlockese , which is closely related to Satawalese on Satawal .
