Swains Island
Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing
Swain Iceland ( Samoan Olosega, tokelauisch Olohega, formerly also: Quiros Quiros or Iceland ) is an Upscale Atoll in the South Pacific, the geographically and culturally part of the island chain of the Tokelau Islands, but politically is part of American Samoa.
Geography
Swain is a small atoll with an area of 1.865 km ², of which 1.508 km ² land area and 0.358 km ² lagoon. The 11 m deep lagoon is entirely surrounded by land and by now become a freshwater lake. To the east of the lagoon is a large island only 764 sqm. On Swain's live 37 inhabitants in eight households ( 2000 census), (also called Swains Village ) all in Taulaga, a village on the west coast. Etena (Eden ) in the southeast consists only of the abandoned mansion of the Jennings family, the owners of Swain.
- Pictures
The lagoon of Swains
Street in the Heart
Beach on Swains Iceland
History
About the early settlement of the island is not known. Maybe it is the island that was discovered by Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandez de Quirós on 2 March 1606 and Isla de la Gente Hermosa called (Spanish for "Island of the beautiful people "). Well a short time later the atoll of residents Fakaofos was conquered, with a large part of the population perished and some women were deported to Fakaofo. According to legend, the chief of Olohega to have been made a curse on the island that should have led to a drought, so that the settlers from Fakaofo died of famine.
Your English name was given to the island in 1841 by the navigator Henry Hudson for the name of the whaler, from whom he had received the note on the location of the atoll. However, Hudson could not land on the island due to the weather.
In 1856, the American Eli Hutchinson Jennings rose to claim ownership of Swain that he claimed to have acquired from their British ' discoverer ', Captain Turnbull. He established a coconut plantation which he managed with his Samoan wife, his son Eli Hutchinson Jennings Jr. and native workers. He also participated in the enslavement of the people of Tokelau by Peruvian slavers.
1907 claimed the British crown the island as part of the colony of the Gilbert and Elliceinseln and took the Jennings family with a tax, whereupon Eli Hutchinson Jennings Jr. took the case to the U.S. State Department. The United Kingdom recognized in 1909 at the U.S. influence on Swains. After the death of Eli Juniors the U.S. transferred the property to his son Alexander Jennings, however, annexed the island on March 4, 1925 and subordinate them to the territory of American Samoa.
1954 established the United States, a local government for Swain. Since that time, the atoll is represented by a non-voting representative in the House of Representatives of American Samoa.
On 25 March 1981 in New Zealand, which represents the neighboring Tokelau realized at the U.S. sovereignty over the island. The U.S. waived in return for territorial claims on the rest of Tokelau Islands. Nevertheless, Swain / Olohega, the draft of a constitution of an independent Tokelau, which was presented at the self-determination referendum in 2006, claimed for Tokelau.
Telecommunications
On 24 July 2006, declared the independent DXCC Entity Swain Iceland by the ARRL (American Radio Relay League). On July 28, went under the call N8S the first time a radio amateur from Swains from Iceland on air.