Skip to content
Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/atolls-of-the-federated-states-of-micronesia

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Namonuito Atoll

Pacific atoll of Federated States of Micronesia


Pacific atoll of Federated States of Micronesia

FieldValue
nameOnoun Airfield
pushpin_label_positionbottom
typePublic
ownerGovernment
operatorCivil Government
city-servedNamonuito Atoll
r1-length-f1,200
r1-length-m370
r1-surfaceChipseal

|Federated States of Micronesia Namonuito Atoll, also called Namonweito, Weito, or Magur Islands, is the largest atoll of the Federated States of Micronesia and of the Caroline Islands with a total area of 2,267 km², unless one considers the still larger Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon as a type of atoll in an early stage of development. In Micronesia, only Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands is still larger.

Namonuito Atoll lies in the northwestern region (Oksoritod) of Chuuk State, the largest federal state of the Federated States of Micronesia, about 170 km northwest of Chuuk Lagoon (measured from Pisaras Islet to the northern and western parts of the fringing reef of Chuuk Lagoon. It is roughly triangular in shape, with the base running 82 km along its southern side.

The southwest corner of the triangle is marked by Onoun islet, the main island (largest and most populated), also called Ulul.

The other islets lie mostly on the northeast side, from Piherarh (Pisaras) in the southeast corner to Makur (Magur) islet in the north corner. The 12 islets have an aggregate land area of only 4.5 km². The total population is 1,341 (census of 2000).

The reef rim of the atoll is submerged for the greater part and is marked by the lighter colour of the water over it. The depths on the reef range from 0.9 to. The reef appears to be in the process of formation and can be crossed at many places. The lagoon is not of uniform depth. Except for a 5.5 m patch, located 22 km west of Pisaras island, and a detached reef, with depths of 2.7 to, located about 10 km of Pisaras, there appears to be a depth greater than 9 m on the scattered lagoon coral heads.

Pisaras Island has coconut palms and other trees growing on it. Reefs extend northwest and west-northwest from the island, enclosing a shallow and foul bay. Ulul Island is densely covered with coconut palms. A drying reef fringes the island. There is a radio station on the island.

The atoll is home to five of the 40 municipalities of Chuuk state, listed in counterclockwise sequence, with population (2000):

Municipalityalternate
or former
nameLand
area
km²Population
(census
2000)locationislandscoordinates
OnounUlul2.54598southwest corner**Ulul Island**
Piherarh
Pisaras
0.80
227
southeast corner
Wabonoru Islet
**Pisaras Island**
Pielimal Islet
Weltot Islet
Unanu
Onari
0.26
178
northeast rim
**Onari Island**
Bihof Islet
Behiliper Islet
Amurtride Islet
OnouOno0.31182northeast rim**Ono Island**
Makur
Magur Islands
0.47
156
north corner
**Magur Island**
Magererik Islet
Namonuito AtollMagur Islands4.381,341

History

Namonuito was first visited by Spanish explorers on the galleon San Jerónimo on 5 July 1566. At Pisaras Island, the rebel pilot Lope Martín and his gang of mutineers (thirteen soldiers and thirteen sailors) murdered Captain Pero Sánchez Pericón and other expedition members, and were subsequently marooned.

Onou Island was later visited by Spanish naval officer Juan Antonio de Ibargoitia commanding the vessel Filipino in 1801 who charted it as Anonima (Anonymous).

Onoun Airfield

| nativename-a = | nativename-r = | image-width = | city-served = Namonuito Atoll | elevation-f = | elevation-m = | metric-elev = | metric-rwy = | r1-number = | r1-length-f = 1,200 | r1-length-m = 370 | r1-surface = Chipseal | stat-year = | stat1-header = | stat1-data = | stat2-header = | stat2-data =

Onoun Airfield is located on the west side of the atoll. Caroline Islands Air has chartered service. Aircraft land on a 1200 ft chipseal runway.

References

References

  1. Coello, Francisco ''La Conferencia de Berlín y la cuestión de las Carolinas: Discursos pronunciados en la Sociedad Geográfica de Madrid'', Madrid, Imprenta de Fortanet, 1885, p.96
  2. Krämer, Augustin ''Ergebnisse der Südsee Expedition'', Friederichsen, De Gruyter, 1908, p.197-198
  3. Sharp, Andrew ''The discovery of the Pacific Islands'', Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1960, p.183
  4. "Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Division of Civil Aviation | Onoun (Ulul) Civil Airfield, Namonuito Atoll, Micronesia".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Namonuito Atoll — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report