NASA image of Jaluit Atoll |
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Jaluit Atoll (Marshall islands)
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Pacific |
| Archipelago | Ralik |
| Total islands | 91 |
| Area | 11.34 km2 (4.378 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Country | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1669 (as of 1998) |
| Ethnic groups | Marshallese |
Jaluit Atoll (Marshallese: Jālwōj, /tʲalʲɦˠʷɘtʲ/ or [t͡ɕælo̯o͡et͡ɕ], or Jālooj, /tʲalʲɘɦˠʷɘtʲ/ or [t͡ɕæle͡oo̯o͡et͡ɕ][1]) is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only 11.34 square kilometres (4.38 sq mi), but it encloses a lagoon with an area of 690 square kilometres (270 sq mi). Most of the land area is on largest islet of Jaluit (10.4 km²). Jaluit is located approximately 220 kilometres (140 mi) southwest of Majuro. Jaluit Atoll is a designated conservation area and Ramsar Wetland.
As of 1999[update], the population of the islands of Jaluit Atoll was 1,669.
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Jaluit Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884, and the Germans established a trading outpost. After World War I, the island came under the South Pacific Mandate of the Empire of Japan, and was the seat of the Japanese administration over the Marshall Islands. Immigrants from mainland Japan numbered several hundred by the 1930s. During World War II the island's Japanese garrison consisted of 1,584 men of the IJN and 727 men of the IJA.[2] The island was bombed on five occasions in November and December 1943 by B-24 Liberator bombers of the USAAF 7th Air Force. Following the end of World War II, Jaluit came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986.
Jaluit Atoll's lagoon is shaped roughly like a cross.
The islet of Jabor has the largest population center on Jaluit Atoll, with a population of approximately 1,200. The island features a small hotel, several small stores that sell staple foods, and a gasoline station. Jabor is also a base for commercial and sports fishing, where motor boats can be rented . Snorkeling spots are around the sunken dock by the airport and in the northern pass into the lagoon.
Imiej is an islet a 45 minute boat ride from Jabor. It used to be the headquarters for the Imperial Japanese Navy garrison and was a major seaplane base. The ruins of the power station, barracks, anti-aircraft guns and a Shinto shrine remain.
Jabor has two elementary schools; a private Catholic one: St. Josephs which is attached to the Catholic Church, and a public one in the middle of town. There is an elementary school in Jaluit, Jaluit and in Iemej as well. Jaluit High School is a boarding high school that serves students from Jaluit Atoll and the southern atolls of Ebon, ailinglaplap, Namu, Kili, Namdrik and Jabat.[3]
Jaluit Airport is served by Air Marshall Islands.
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