Teraina

Teraina or Iceland Washington, in recent letters also Teeraina, is a Polynesian, to the nation of Kiribati belonging Atoll. It is part of the city, in the central Pacific Ocean island chain of the Line Islands. In the past Teraina was next to Washington Iceland also known as New York or Prospect.

Geography

The atoll is located 523 km north of the Equator, 141 miles north- west of Tabuaeran ( Fanning Iceland ) and 223 km south-east of Palmyra. It is a so-called upscale Atoll, in which the lagoon to the inland lake, here specifically to a freshwater lake, has become the Washington Lake. The 279 acre lake area are therefore considered part of the island surface. Teraina is about 7 km long and up to 3 km wide, and in this case has an area of 14.2 km ². The sandy island is almost completely surrounded by a coral reef, landing with boats is possible only on the western tip near the main town and is considered difficult.

Live on the island about 1,150 residents whose main source of income is the production of copra. They are spread over nine settlements.

The individual settlements counterclockwise from the northeast: f1 map with all coordinates: OSM, Google and Bing

History

The atoll was sighted on June 12, 1798 by the U.S. researcher Edmund Fanning ( 1769-1841 ), which they named after the first President of the United States, George Washington. Citing the 1856 adopted Guano Islands Act Washington Iceland was indeed claimed by the United States, but not taken possession. In 1889, the tropical island was annexed by the British Empire and assigned to the Colony Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Since 1979 it belongs to the island nation of Kiribati and is officially called Teraina.