Rose Atoll
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Rose Atoll, sometimes called Rose Island, or Motu O Manu by people of the nearby Manu'a Islands, is an oceanic atoll within the U.S. territory of American Samoa. It is an uninhabited wildlife refuge. It is the southermost point in the United States. The land area is 0.214 km² (52.8 acres). The total area of the atoll, including lagoon and reef flat amounts to 5 km². Just west of the northernmost point is a channel into the lagoon, about 40 meters wide. There are two islets on the northwestern rim of the reef, larger Rose Island in the east (3.5 m high) and unvegetated Sand Island in the north (1.5 m high).
The first documented sighting by a Westerner was by Louis de Freycinet in 1819. Soon afterwards, in 1824, it was seen by the expedition under Otto von Kotzebue, who named it Kordinkov after his First Lieutenant.
The Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge that lies on the two outstanding islands of the Atoll is managed cooperatively between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the government of American Samoa. [1]
[edit] References
- American Samoa, its districts and unorganized islands, United States Census Bureau
- A Summary of Information on Rose Atoll (Atoll Research Bulletin #29)
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Information Page on Rose Atoll
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