Swains Island
| Swains Island (Olohega) | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Archipelago | Union Islands | |
| Geographical location | 11 ° 3 '20 " S , 171 ° 4' 40" W | |
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| length | 1.8 km | |
| width | 1.4 km | |
| surface | 1.865 km² | |
| Residents | 37 (2006) 20 inhabitants / km² |
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| main place | Taulaga | |
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Swains Island ( Samoan Olosega , Tokelau Olohega , formerly also: Quiros or Quiros Island ) is an upscale atoll in the South Pacific , which geographically belongs to the Union Islands and culturally to Tokelau , but politically it is part of American Samoas .
geography
Swains is a small atoll with an area of 1.865 km², of which 1.508 km² is land and 0.358 km² is lagoon . The 11 m deep lagoon is completely surrounded by land and has meanwhile become a freshwater lake. In the east of the lagoon there is an island of only 764 m². In 2006, Swain's 37 inhabitants were all living in Taulaga (also called Swains Village), a village on the west coast. Etena (Eden) to the southeast consists only of the abandoned mansion of the Jennings family, the owners of Swains.
- photos
Swains from afar
Swains Lagoon
Road in the interior of the island
Beach on Swains Island
history
Nothing is known about the early settlement of the island. It may be the island that the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós discovered on March 2, 1606 and called Isla de la Gente Hermosa (Spanish for "island of beautiful people"). A short time later, the atoll was conquered by the inhabitants of Fakaofo , with a large part of the population perishing and some women being abducted to Fakaofo. According to legend, the chief of Olohega is said to have cast a curse on the island, which is said to have led to a drought, so that the settlers from Fakaofo died of famine.
The island was given its English name in 1841 by the navigator Henry Hudson after the name of the whaler from whom he had received information about the location of the atoll. Hudson was unable to land on the island due to the weather.
In 1856, the American Eli Hutchinson Jennings claimed ownership of Swains from their British 'discoverer', Captain Turnbull. He started a coconut plantation which he managed with his Samoan wife, son Eli Hutchinson Jennings Jr., and local workers. He also participated in the enslavement of Tokelau residents by Peruvian slave traders.
In 1907 the British Crown claimed the island as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony and taxed the Jennings family, whereupon Eli Hutchinson Jennings Jr. brought the case to the State Department. The UK recognized US influence over Swains in 1909. After the death of Eli Juniors, the USA transferred the property to his son Alexander Jennings, but annexed the island on March 4, 1925 and made it subject to the territory of American Samoa.
In 1954, the United States established a local government for Swains. Since then, the atoll has been represented by a non-voting representative in the American Samoa House of Representatives.
On March 25, 1981, New Zealand, which represents neighboring Tokelau , recognized US sovereignty over the island. In return, the USA waived territorial claims on the remaining Tokelau Islands. Nevertheless, in the draft for a constitution for an independent Tokelau, which was presented on the occasion of the self-determination referendum in 2006 , Swains / Olohega is claimed for Tokelau.
telecommunications
On July 24, 2006, Swains Island was declared an independent DXCC Entity by the ARRL ( American Radio Relay League ) . On July 28, an amateur radio operator went on the air for the first time from Swains Island under the callsign N8S.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Paul Chapman: Tiny Tokelau takes on America over 'cursed' island. In: The Telegraph. February 16, 2006, accessed May 2, 2018 .
- ^ Martin Mühlbauer: Swains Island (Olohega). Tokelau-Info.de , accessed on May 16, 2019 .
- ↑ Tokelau calls for return of island on tvnz.co.nz
- ↑ 12 Secrets of Our Earth . In: PM 01/2008. Gruner + Jahr AG & Co KG, Hamburg. ISSN 0176-4152 .