Rennell Island

Rennell, Polynesian Mu Nggava, is an upscale Atoll of the Western Pacific island nation of Solomon Islands.

The densely forested island is outside the Solomon Islands, about 200 km south of Guadalcanal and 180 km southwest of San Cristobal ( Makira ). It is 86 km long and up to 15 km wide, and has an area of 654 km ².

With 24 km north-eastern island of Bellona and three about 70 km south -lying atolls ( Indispensable Reefs ) Rennell is the group of Rennell Islands and also the province of Rennell and Bellona Solomon, together with an estimated 3200 inhabitants.

History

Both islands were discovered in 1793 by English sailors on board the merchant ship " Bellona " to the Western world. The Samoan language of the islands is also mentioned in English texts " Rennell ". It belongs to the Samoan branch of the Polynesian languages. Rennell is culturally part of the reason lying to the outside of the Polynesian triangle of Polynesia enclaves.

Special

Rennell is the largest raised coral atoll in the sea of the world, that is, in contrast to other, just above the sea outstanding coral islands was raised atoll by geological processes up to 1,000 m above sea level.

The former lagoon in the southeast of the island now forms the Te Nggano, the 15,500 ha with the largest lake in the island world of the Pacific. The water is brackish water, the lake contains numerous small rugged Binneninselchen of coral and many endemic plant and animal species.

Since 1998, therefore, the southern third of the island is (better than East Rennell known) with an area of ​​37,000 ha and a three- mile-wide zone in the surrounding sea on the list of World Natural Heritage by UNESCO.

Sources & links

• Side of UNESCO on East Rennell (English )

• Island (Australia and Oceania)
• Island (Solomon Islands)
• Island ( Salomonensee )
• Upscale Atoll