Flint Island

The island Flint, (English Flint Iceland ) is an uninhabited coral island in the Pacific Ocean south of the equator. It belongs geographically to the southern Line Islands and is politically a part of the island nation of Kiribati.

Geography

Flint is the southernmost island of the Line Islands and is about 158 ​​km southeast of the neighboring island of Vostok and good 232 km south-west of Caroline Atoll located. The 4.1 km long and 0.9 km wide island covers an area of 3.2 km ² and a height of 7 m above sea level. It represents a so-called Upscale Atoll, in which the former lagoon has become more lakes. Flint is almost completely surrounded by a coral reef, just to the west there is a narrow passage. Therefore, the landing boats is considered difficult.

History

About the discovery of the island are, with the exception of the year before 1801 no further information. Citing the 1856 adopted Guano Islands Act Flint was indeed claimed by the United States, but not taken possession. The island, however, was leased to the British company Houlder Brothers and Co., which degraded 1875-1880 intensive guano. From 1881 began on the island with the planting of coconut trees for copra production. In the 30s of the last century, the plantations were abandoned, the island has no permanent residents since then.

A research group at Lick Observatory observed on 3 January 1908, the total solar eclipse, which was also used to determine the exact position of the observation site, and thus the island.

Originally the British colony associated with Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Flint belongs since 1979 to the newly founded Republic of Kiribati.

Animal and plant life

Flint was still described on February 5, 1841 as part of a U.S. expedition as " heavily wooded ", the researchers said the Mangareva expedition took place on October 16, 1934 mainly coconut trees and some papaya trees. Except for a few Pisonia forests the original animal and plant life was largely destroyed by the intensive use of the island in the past. On Flint Iceland is one of the largest populations of the coconut crab ( Birgus latro ).

• Views

The passage in the fringing reef on the west coast

One of the many, which emerged from the former lagoon lakes

An original forest of Pisonia grandis on Flint