Olimarao
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Olimarao Atoll is an uninhabited
atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
with a land area of 0.2 km2 in the State of Yap in the
Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise a ...
. It is located 36 kilometers northwest of Elato and 860 kilometers southeast of Yap island. Olimarao belongs administratively to Elato.


Geography

The atoll's surface is 11 km2 and it is roughly 5 km long and 3 km wide. The
lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...
has a surface of about 6 km2 and two passages into it located in the southern fringes of the reef.


Islands

There are only two small islets (Motus) on the reef, with a total surface of 0.2 km2 (20 hectares): * Olimarao Island, located at the NE end of the reef is the largest * Falipi Island in the SW corner is only 2.4 ha in surface Both islands have coconut palms, among other
vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...
, like ''
Scaevola taccada ''Scaevola taccada'', also known as beach cabbage, sea lettuce, or beach naupaka, is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae found in coastal locations in the tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific. It is a common beach shrub throughout the Arab ...
''
bushes A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
.


Ecology

The whole atoll is part of the ''Olimarao Conservation Area''. This zone is meant to protect the breeding places of
sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, ...
s,
coconut crab The coconut crab (''Birgus latro'') is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world, with a weight of up to . It can grow to up to in width from the tip ...
s and pelagic birds. The Federated States of Micronesia: National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, 2003
/ref>


See also

*
Desert island A desert island, deserted island, or uninhabited island, is an island, islet or atoll that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereot ...
*
List of islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another plane ...


References


External links


Marine World DatabaseReport of the German South Pacific Expedition 1908-1910Polynesia-Micronesia Biodiversity Hotspot
Atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia Islands of Yap Uninhabited islands of the Federated States of Micronesia {{Micronesia-geo-stub