 NASA picture of Namu Atoll | |
 Namu Atoll in theRepublic of the Marshall Islands | |
  Namu Atoll | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Pacific |
| Coordinates | 07°59′00″N168°10′25″E / 7.98333°N 168.17361°E /7.98333; 168.17361 |
| Archipelago | Ralik |
| Total islands | 51 |
| Area | 6.27 km2 (2.42 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Administration | |
 | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 525 (2021) |
| Ethnic groups | Marshallese |
Namu Atoll (Marshallese:Naṃo,[nʲɑmˠo][1]) is a coralatoll of 54 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of theRalik Chain of theMarshall Islands. Its total land area is only 6.27 square kilometers (2.42 sq mi), but that encloses a lagoon of 397 square kilometers (153 sq mi). It is located approximately 62 kilometers (39 mi) south-southwest ofKwajalein Atoll.
There are four main population centres, the islands of Namu, Majkin, Loen and Mae. The population of Namu Atoll was 525 at the 2021 census.[2]
The Spanish expedition ofÁlvaro de Mendaña made the first recorded sighting by Europeans of Namu Atoll on 17 September 1568. The pilot,Hernán Gallego, mistook it forSan Bartolome (Bokak Atoll), whichToribio Alonso de Salazar had seen in 1526, although Bokak was a long way to the north. Mendaña says they named themSan Mateo Shoals. The islands were inhabited, with many houses. A landing party found achisel made of a nail and pieces of rope which were presumably gifts left there on 3 July 1566 by thegalleonSan Jerónimo, then commanded by the rebel pilotLope Martín.[3] Captain Thomas Dennet of the British vesselBritannia sighted the atoll in 1797 on route from Australia to China and named it Ross Island.[4]
TheGerman Empire claimed Namu Atoll along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1885.[5] After World War I, the island came under theSouth Seas Mandate of theEmpire of Japan. The base became part of the vast USNaval Base Marshall Islands. Following the end of World War II, it came under the control of the United States as part of theTrust Territory of the Pacific Islands until 1986 when the Marshall Islands achieved their independence.
Marshall Islands Public School System operates public schools:[6]
Students are zoned toJaluit High School inJaluit Atoll.[7]
In the 1994–1995 school year Namu had one private high school.[8]
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