Lib Island (
Marshallese: , ) is an island in the Pacific Ocean. It is a legislative district of the
Ralik Chain
The Ralik Chain ( Marshallese: , ) is a chain of islands within the island nation of the Marshall Islands. Ralik means "sunset". It is west of the Ratak Chain. In 1999 the total population of the Ralik islands was 19,915. Christopher Loeak, who b ...
of the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
. Its total land area is . The population of Lib Island is 155.
History
The first recorded sighting by Europeans of Lib Island happened on 8 January 1565 by
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
navigator
Alonso de Arellano
Alonso de Arellano was a 16th-century Spanish explorer who commanded one ship that was part of the fleet that re-discovered the Philippines after the Magellan and López de Villalobos expeditions.
Biography
Arellano was captain of the ''San Luca ...
commanding
patache
A patache (occasionally "patax" or "''pataje''") is a type of sailing vessel with two masts, very light and shallow, a sort of cross between a brig and a schooner, which originally was a warship, being intended for surveillance and inspection of ...
''San Lucas''. It was charted by Arellano as ''Los Nadadores'' ("The Swimmers" in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
). In his account of the sighting, Arellano stated that the inhabitants of Lib would be fine for pulling an oar in a galley, being big and well made, and were a warlike people, being expert in throwing stones with slings. He also expressed an opinion that they must be of
the Devil
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...
because their island was a thousand
leagues from firm land.
Captain Thomas Dennet of the British vessel ''Britannia'' sighted the island in 1797 on route from Australia to China and named it Princess Island.
Education
Marshall Islands Public School System
Republic of Marshall Islands Public School System (PSS) is the public school system of the Marshall Islands, headquartered in Majuro. It was established in November 2013 by Public Law 2013-23.
It is a part of the Ministry of Education, Sports and ...
operates Lib Elementary School.
[Public Schools ]
." Marshall Islands Public School System. Retrieved on February 21, 2018.
References
Ralik Chain
Municipalities of the Marshall Islands
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