The Palmyra Atoll Island (Pacific Ocean) is a chain consisting of flat limestone islands located in the form of an open ring. Their height does not exceed 2 meters. Around the chain of islands are coral reefs.
Where is the island of Palmyra? The atoll is located in the northern part of the equatorial zone of the Pacific Ocean. The coordinates of the island of Palmyra: 5 ° 52´00´´ north latitude and 162 ° 06´00´´ west longitude. Geographically, Palmyra is located almost in the center of the Pacific Ocean.
The role of the islands in history
The first person to observe these islands was the captain of the American ship Edmund Fanning in 1798. The ship was moving to Asia and nearly crashed when meeting with the atoll. Only thanks to the painful foreboding of the captain did the vessel change its course in time.
The first visitors to these islands were passengers of the Palmira ship, which crashed near these islands in 1802. Only part of the team who managed to get to land was saved. It was they who gave this name to the islands.
April 15, 1862 Palmyra becomes part of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The islands were ruled by captains Wilkinson and Bent. Until 1898, the atoll was in the possession of various states, but in 1898 the United States forcibly took over the Hawaiian Islands, and the Palmyra Atoll also transferred to them.
Later, in 1900, Palmyra again came under the control of the government of the Hawaiian Islands. During this period, the United Kingdom claimed to possess them. However, in 1911, the US Congress re-adopted the act of appropriating the islands of Palmyra to itself.
The opening of the Pnamsky Canal served as an impetus to exacerbate territorial disputes. Great Britain built a station there to service the submarine cable passing through the Pacific Ocean, which became an incentive for the desire to appropriate the islands for itself. However, after sending a warship of the US Navy to the shores of Palmyra in 1912, this territory is finally assigned to the Americans.
In the same year, the islands are bought by Henry Ernest Cooper, who became their full owner. In July 1913, scientists visited the islands with him and conducted descriptive studies.
In 1922, Cooper sold most of the islands to two American businessmen who opened coconut copra production there. The sons of these businessmen, among whom was actor Leslie Vincent, remained the owners of the bulk of the islands for a long time.
Until 2000, the islands were actively used by the US military for various purposes. The deployment of the military on Palmyra was constant. Since 2000, the islands have been used for scientific and environmental purposes. Including they are positioned as a natural laboratory for the study of various effects of global warming and the problem of invasions.
Island Features
The island of Palmyra in the Pacific Ocean consists of 50 small islands with a total coastline of 14.5 km. Inside the island half-ring there are two lagoons. The area of the island of Palmyra (more precisely, the atoll) is 12 square kilometers, and the land area is 3.9 km 2. The islands are surrounded by a coral reef. The atoll itself has the appearance of a rectangle with a width (north-south) of about 2 km and a length (west-east) of about 6 km. The zone of the islands occupies only part of the reef area; the rest is covered by shallow water with shallow depths. Depth increases in lagoons located inside the island semicircle.
The largest islands have their own names. The easternmost is the island of Barren. Near it are small islands without a name. In the central part of the island group is located the relatively large (second largest in Palmyra) island of Kaula. The western group of islands includes an island with the name Main and Peschaniy Island, divided into 2 parts. In the northern part of the island group (the so-called Northern Arch) there are islands such as Cooper (the largest in Palmyra), Strain, Aviation Islands, Wyporville and Kewyle, as well as smaller islands.
The eastern group includes the islands: Vostochny, Pelican, Papala. The southern part of the archipelago is formed by such islands as Tanager, Engineering, Marine, Bird, Paradise.
In a comparative proximity to the atoll (1200 km to the north) are the Hawaiian Islands. Although the Palmyra Islands group is uninhabited, it officially belongs to the United States. She is subordinate to the department of fishing and hunting of this country. Palmyra Atoll is still subject to territorial disputes: the Republic of Kiribati considers this and other Pacific atolls to be its territory.
Palmyra Island. Description
The origin of the atoll is associated with the rise to the surface of an ancient volcano, which was active in the region of 3-4 million years ago in the Miocene era. As a result, a shallow area was formed, which was inhabited by coral polyps. Gradually, from the products of their livelihoods, elevations arose on which woody plants settled.
All islands have a flat or low relief, which makes them sensitive to fluctuations in sea level. They are natural sand mounds compressed by time. On the coast, underwater and surface coral reefs are common. The relief of the atoll has great power, density and solidity.
The hydrography of the islands is practically absent. The small size and sandy soil exclude the appearance of any significant watercourses. Therefore, without a supply of fresh water, you can only rely on rainwater.
Climatic features
Location in the center of the Pacific Ocean and in comparative proximity to the equator determines the even and humid oceanic climate characteristic of equatorial latitudes. The average annual temperature is + 30 °, and the annual precipitation is 4445 mm. Rains have the character of both short and long showers. Precipitation and temperature change little during the year.
Island vegetation and wildlife
The islands are covered with thick grassy and shrubby vegetation. Coconut palms and one of the subspecies of the basal tree up to 30 m high also grow. In the animal kingdom, seabirds play the largest role. Also on the shores and sand spits are common marine green turtles. All the islands are inhabited by domestic pigs, cats, mice and rats that were once introduced by visitors.
Remnants of infrastructure
In general, the islands are considered almost uninhabited. Only on the island of Cooper is located on an ongoing basis from 5 to 25 staff members of US organizations. Also on the island of Cooper, the remains of military infrastructure have been preserved. There is one relic - a crumpled helicopter of the Second World War in the thickets of rhododendron.
It is almost impossible to visit the islands for relaxing by the sea and diving. Some small groups of extreme tourists occasionally visit the archipelago.
Palmyra is not as hospitable as it seems
At first glance, the islands are the embodiment of earthly paradise (in its tropical version), but those who have been there have a completely different opinion on this. Surrounded by the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean, a small archipelago is a very inhospitable place. The weather on the islands can suddenly change, bursting into tropical rain and thunder. Many sharks live in saltwater, and the fish swimming there are often unsuitable for food due to the toxic substances that are saturated with coastal algae. On the island itself there are many mosquitoes and poisonous lizards.
Many visitors complained of an inexplicable feeling of fear. Various stories tell that mysterious murders, suicides, fights between members of previously friendly collectives and an insistent desire to leave the island as soon as possible took place on the islands. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Palmyra is still an uninhabited place.
Palmyra - island of disasters
The atoll has repeatedly become a shipwreck. Now their remains lie at the bottom near the islands. The atoll is also known for strange air crashes. In one such case, a plane crashing near an island went missing. Despite a thorough search, it was not possible to find a car.
Another case is also very unusual: an airplane that rose in good weather from a runway, instead of flying at a heading course, turned in the air in the opposite direction and then flew in that direction until it disappeared over the horizon. Find pilots and the plane also failed.
Another plane crash happened due to the fact that the pilot could not find the landing strip and eventually crashed into the water. Sharks quickly tore him apart, as a result of which he could not be saved.
Abnormally high non-combat losses forced the military to cease its activities on the atoll.
