Aguijan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aguijan is a small bean-shaped coralline island in the Northern Mariana Islands chain situated 8 km southwest of Tinian. It is only 7.09 km² (2.738 sq mi) in size and is nicknamed Goat Island due to the large number of feral goats present there. Much of the native vegetation on Aguijan has been destroyed by goats.

Aguijan is uninhabited and is seldom visited because it is surrounded by sheer steep cliffs. However, a 2002 survey of the island did find a handful of native species there, including the Mariana Fruit Bat, the Polynesian sheath-tailed bat and the Micronesian megapode Megapodius laperouse.

During World War II the Japanese maintained a garrison on Aguijan. This garrison is noteworthy because it did not surrender to U.S. forces until September 4, 1945; three weeks following VJ Day.

Aguijan and neighboring Tinian Island together form Tinian Municipality, one of the four main political divisions that comprise the Northern Marianas.

[edit] References

• Aguijan Island: Block Group 5, Census Tract 9501, Tinian Municipality, United States Census Bureau
• Pascal Horst Lehne and Christoph Gäbler: Über die Marianen. Lehne-Verlag, Wohldorf in Germany 1972. and Aguijan
• Google: Aguijan

	Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Saipan (capital)
Topics	Archipelago | Geography | Politics | Economy | Campaign
Islands	Farallon de Pajaros (Uracas) | Maug Islands | Asuncion | Agrihan (Agrigan) | Pagan | Alamagan | Guguan | Zealandia Bank | Sarigan | Anatahan | Farallon de Medinilla | Saipan | Tinian | Aguijan (Agiguan) | Rota
Municipalities	Northern Islands Municipality | Saipan | Tinian | Rota