Teraina

Teraina
NASA photo by Teraina
Waters	Pacific Ocean
Archipelago	Line Islands
Geographical location	4 ° 41 ′ 0 "  N , 160 ° 22 ′ 40"  W Coordinates: 4 ° 41 ′ 0 "  N , 160 ° 22 ′ 40"  W
length	6.8 km
width	2.5 km
surface	14.2 km²
Highest elevation	5  m
Residents	1712 (2015) 121 inhabitants / km²
main place	Tangkore
A maneaba , a typical meeting house for a clan

Historical map

Teraina or Washington Island , or Teeraina in more recent spelling , is a Polynesian atoll belonging to the state of Kiribati . It is part of the central Pacific Ocean lying island chain of the Line Islands . In the past, Teraina was called New York or Prospect in addition to Washington Island .

geography

Satellite map with villages

The atoll is 523 km north of the equator , 141 km northwest of Tabuaeran ( Fanning Island ) and 223 km southeast of Palmyra . It is a so-called upscale atoll , in which the lagoon has become an inland lake, here specifically a freshwater lake , Washington Lake . The 279 hectares of the lake are therefore part of the island area. Teraina is about 7 km long and up to 3 km wide and has an area of ​​14.2 km². The sandy island is almost completely surrounded by a coral reef , landing with boats is only possible at the western tip near the main town and is considered difficult.

About 1700 inhabitants live on the island (as of 2015), whose main source of income is the production of copra . They are spread over nine settlements.

The individual settlements counterclockwise from the northeast:  Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

Village	Population ( census )			Coordinates
	2005	2010	2015
Abaiang	91	146 ▲	145 ▼	4.6886 °  N , 160.3637 °  W
Kauamwemwe	106	198 ▲	244 ▲	4.69 °  N , 160.3701 °  W
Ute	72	141 ▲	104 ▼	4.6938 °  N , 160.3783 °  W
Kaaitara	34	- ▼	51	4.6968 °  N , 160.3859 °  W
Tangkore (main town)	203	410 ▲	413 ▲	4.6976 °  N , 160.4031 °  W
Matanibike	191	91 ▼	-	4.6907 °  N , 160.4091 °  W
Arabata	190	353 ▲	342 ▼	4.6855 °  N , 160.4056 °  W
Mwakeitari	92	177 ▲	213 ▲	4.6734 °  N , 160.3841 °  W
Onauea	176	174 ▼	200 ▲	4.6704 °  N , 160.3769 °  W
Teraina overall	1,155	1,690 ▲	1712 ▲	4.6833 °  N , 160.3778 °  W

history

The atoll was sighted on June 12, 1798 by the American explorer Edmund Fanning (1769–1841), who named it after the first President of the United States , George Washington . Citing the Guano Islands Act , passed in 1856 , Washington Island was claimed by the United States, but not taken. In 1889 the tropical island was annexed by the British Empire and assigned to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony . It has belonged to the island nation of Kiribati since 1979 and is officially called Teraina.

literature

• L. Wester, JO Juvik and P. Holthus: Vegetation History of Washington Island (Teraina), Northern Line Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin, No. 358, May 1992 (PDF; 2.1 MB)

Web links

Commons : Teraina  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Links to official reports with statistics and maps
• Teraina.com
• Teraina on oceandots.com ( Memento from December 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
• Detailed map
• Jane's Ocenia Page - Washington Island (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Population and No of Households by Island: 2010, 2015. Population and Housing Census, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
2. ↑ 2005 census (English)
3. ^ Report on the Kiribati 2010 Census of Population and Housing. Vol 1: Basic Information and Tables. Part B: Personal (Population) Tables. Table 3: Population by Village, Sex and Age Group - 2010. P. 49. ( Memento of the original dated November 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 12, 2016.