Pagan Island

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Pagan Island

North Pagan, the most active of the two stratovolcanoes on Pagan Island.
Elevation 570 m (1,870 ft)
Location Northern Mariana Islands, Pacific Ocean
Prominence 570 m (1,870 ft)
Coordinates 18°8′N, 145°48′E
Type Stratovolcanoes
Last eruption 2006

Pagan Island is an island of the Northern Mariana Islands chain, located at 18.10° N 145.76° E, approximately 320 kilometers north of Saipan.

Pagan has an area of 47.23 km² (18.24 sq mi), making it the fourth largest island of the Northern Marianas, and consists of two stratovolcanoes joined by a narrow strip of land. The stratovolcano at the northeast end of the island, at 18.13° N 145.8° E, has an altitude of 570 m; the other, at the southwest end at 18.075° N 145.725° E, is 548 m high.

[edit] History and population

It was inhabited during historical times, but a 1981 eruption forced the evacuation of its inhabitants. The last U.S. census reported no residents as of April 1, 2000.

Like the other Northern Marianas, it changed hands from the Spanish (governed from Guam) to the German colonial administration, and after Japanese occupation was first under League of Nations mandate, after U.S. occupation remained part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands until the granting of U.S. Commonwealth status. Politically it is part of the Northern Islands Municipality.

Pagan Island was included during Operation Christmas Drop 2006. United States Air Force C-130 aircrew observed cattle and a small cluster of buildings, including a grass airstrip, located on the island.

[edit] References