Orona atoll, also known as Hull Island, is one of the

Phoenix Islands The Phoenix Islands, or Rawaki, are a group of eight atolls and two submerged coral reefs that lie east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. They are part of the Kiribati, Republic ...

in the Republic of

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

. It measures approximately by , and like Kanton, is a narrow ribbon of land surrounding a sizable

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 ...

with depths of . Numerous passages connect the lagoon to the surrounding ocean, only a couple of which will admit even a small boat. Total land area is , and the maximum elevation is nine metres. Kiribati declared the

Phoenix Islands Protected Area The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) is located in the Republic of Kiribati, an ocean nation in the central Pacific approximately midway between Australia and Hawaii. PIPA constitutes 11.34% of Kiribati's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), an ...

in 2006, with the park being expanded in 2008. The 164,200-square-mile (425,300-square-kilometer) marine reserve contains eight coral atolls including Orano. Although occupied at various times during the past, including as late as 2004, Orona is uninhabited today.

Flora and fauna

Orona's flora and fauna

Manra Manra (previously: ''Sydney Island''), is one of the Phoenix Islands in the Republic of Kiribati. It lies at . longitude, and has an area of . and an elevation of approximately six metres. Together with the seven other Phoenix Islands, it for ...

, Orona is covered with coconut palms (mostly on the western side), towering above the surface. The remainder of the atoll is covered with scrub forest, herbs, and grasses, with a maximum height of . Feral cats exist on the island, together with rats, pigs, and dogs. Ducks and chickens were raised by the former inhabitants, but it is unknown whether any remain. Orona also boasts three species of lizards, land and hermit crabs, together with approximately fifty species of insects. Turtles are also known to use the island as a nesting area. A survey of Orona carried out in 2006 did not detect rats. However,

Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), known to the Māori as ''kiore'', is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. The Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, a ...

s were located on the island in 2009, as well as more than 20 cats.

Orona's reefs

Unlike Manra, whose lagoon is too salty for marine life, Orona's lagoon teems with fish and giant clams. The 2000 surveys (Obura, et al.) found that the extent of algae cover showed evidence of high nutrient levels by a high cover of filamentous wispy brown algae on all surfaces including rock, coral rubble, ''Halimeda'' and other algae. Live Coral Cover was extremely low at less than 5%, though coral heads typical of a healthy reef were abundant though dead, which suggested there was chronic mortality over an extended period of time. At inner leeward lagoon sites, coral species were identified typical of high-silt environments (e.g. ''

Montipora ''Montipora'' is a genus of Scleractinian corals in the phylum Cnidaria. Members of the genus ''Montipora'' may exhibit many different growth morphologies. With eighty five known species, ''Montipora'' is the second most species rich coral genus ...

efflorescens'', ''

Acropora lovelli ''Acropora lovelli'' is a species of acroporid coral found in the northern Indian Ocean, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia and the oceanic west Pacific Ocean. It can also be found in Palau and the southern Mariana Islands, the Red Sea, Mauri ...

''), growing in fine calcareous silt in aggregated patches together with abundant giant clam (''

Tridacna ''Tridacna'' is a genus of large saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the subfamily Tridacninae, the giant clams. They have heavy shells, fluted with 4 to 6 folds. The mantle is brightly coloured. They inhabit shallow waters of coral ...

''). Towards the center and windward side of the lagoon the sandy bottom became coarser with coral growth developing around dead bommies and small patch reefs. Coral diversity increased progressively towards the lagoon channel, with increasing presence of outer-reef species. The most abundant coral species at Orona were: ''

Goniastrea stelligera ''Goniastrea stelligera'', commonly known as knob coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It occurs in shallow water on the coast of East Africa and in the Indo-Pacific region. This is a common species of coral but it seems ...

'', ''

Goniastrea ''Goniastrea'' is a genus of stony corals in the family Merulinidae. Species belonging to the genus ''Goniastrea'' forms massive colonies, usually spherical or elongate, with well developed paliform lobes. Polyps can be seen only at night. Spe ...

edwardsi'', ''

Echinopora ''Echinopora'' is a genus of stony corals in the family Merulinidae. Species The following species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A ...

lamellosa'', '' Leptastrea purpurea'', ''

Cyphastrea ''Cyphastrea'' is a genus of massive reef building stony corals in the family Merulinidae Merulinidae is a family of reef-building stony corals. Characteristics All the genera in this family are colonial, reef-building corals. Skeletal struc ...

chalcidicum'', ''

efflorescens'', ''

Pavona Pavona is a hamlet in Lazio, central Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Albano Laziale. However, its traditional territory is also included in those of Castel Gandolfo and Rome. Overview The Albano fraction includ ...

varians'' and ''Pavona clavus''.

History

, Orona contains evidence of prehistoric Polynesian inhabitation. An ancient stone

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

stands on the eastern tip of the island, together with ruins of shelters, graves and other platforms. No one is certain who discovered Orona or when, but history shows that it was named "Hull Island" in honor of Commodore Isaac Hull, USN by Commander

Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...

of the USS ''Vincennes'' when he visited the island on 26 August 1840 in the

United States Exploring Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

. It continued to be generally known by this name until the Republic of Kiribati was granted independence in 1979, when its name was changed to the I-Kiribati ''Orona.'' Unlike

, Orona does not seem to have been worked for

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

, and was apparently not claimed (unlike the other Phoenix Islands) by American guano diggers. The British flag was raised there on 11 July 1889, and the island became part of the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...

colony. Orona was leased in 1916 to a Captain Allen of the "Samoan Shipping and Trading Company", and became a

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...

plantation. Allen's lease was bought out by the British government in 1938. It was one of the islands involved in the

Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme The Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme was begun in 1938 in the western Pacific ocean and was the last attempt at human colonisation within the British Empire. History Conceived by Henry E. "Harry" Maude, lands commissioner of the Gilbert and El ...

, the final colonial expansion of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. Residents were evacuated in 1963, due to persistent drought and the declining copra market. Photos of the abandoned settlement,

Arariki Arariki is a former settlement on the western side of Orona, a remote atoll in the Phoenix Islands group and part of the Republic of Kiribati. History It was founded in December 1938 by Henry Evans Maude, a British colonial officer, as one of the ...

, circa 1967, may be seen here. Hull Island Post Office opened on 1 January 1939 and closed around January 1964. After being abandoned, the island was reoccupied by American authorities in 1970 and administered from the Canton and Enderbury Islands Condominium. British and American claims to the island ended in 1979 with the independence of Kiribati from Great Britain and the signing of the

Treaty of Tarawa On September 20, 1979, representatives of the newly independent Republic of Kiribati and of the United States met in Tarawa to sign a treaty of friendship between the two nations, known as the Treaty of Tarawa. More formally, the treaty is entit ...

in which the US retains the right to re-establish a military base. Administration was transferred to Kiribati authority in 1981. The island was briefly reoccupied between 2001 and 2004 by trepangers from the

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

supported by a patrol boat of the Kiribati Navy.News from the LinNix in Kiribati
Orona, together with the other Phoenix Islands, was proclaimed in 2008 to be part of the

, the world's largest marine protected area.

Photo gallery

File:Orona from sea AKK.jpg, East end of Orona Island. File:Orona Sunset AKK.jpg, Orona Island sunset. File:Orona Landing Beach AKK.jpg, Beach near the landing on Orona Island. File:Orona Lagoon Shore 2000 AKK.jpg, Lagoon shore on Orona Island. File:Orona Post Office AKK.jpg, Remains of the Orona post office, from when Orona was inhabited.

References

External links

*
US-Kiribati Treaty of Friendship
{{coord, 4, 30, S, 172, 10, W, display=title Phoenix Islands (Kiribati) Uninhabited islands of Kiribati Pacific islands claimed under the Guano Islands Act Former populated places in Oceania Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme Islands of Kiribati Former disputed islands