Vostok Island
Vostok ( Vostok english 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. The island was called in the past, Anne Iceland, Iceland Leavitt, Reaper Iceland or Iceland Staver, also different spellings were used as Iceland Vostok, Vostok Iceland or Iceland Wostock.
Geography
Vostok is located about 158 km northwest of the neighboring island of Flint and good 230 km west of the Caroline Atoll. The island has a length of about 0.7 km, a width of about 0.6 km and an area of 0.24 km ² and reaches a height of 5 m above sea level. The approximately triangular shaped coral island is partially surrounded by a coral reef; a landing with boats is considered difficult.
History
The island was discovered on August 3, 1820 by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a Baltic German navigator in Russian service. He named it after his ship Vostok ( восток ), the Russian word for "east", but did not land on it. Citing the 1856 adopted Guano Islands Act Vostok was indeed claimed by the United States, but not taken possession. In contrast to the islands Flint or Starbuck never guano was mined. 1916, the British colony slammed Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Vostok belongs since 1979 to the newly founded Republic of Kiribati.
Animal and plant life
Flora and fauna of the island were able to develop largely undisturbed by man. Thus, the entire interior of the island of dense Pisonia trees ( Pisonia grandis) is covered, which are up to 20 m high and hardly allow growth of other plants. At sea birds, however, is to a great diversity of species present Vostok: So here hatch the Sooty Tern ( Onychoprion fuscatus ), the red-footed boobies (Sula sula ), the Frigate ( Fregata minor), the Fairy Tern ( Gygis alba ) and the Weißkappennoddi ( Anous minutus). The only occurring on the island reptile is the Pacific Rim widespread blue tail Schlankskink ( Emoia cyanura ).
Vostok was declared in 1979 by the United Nations to reserve Vostok Iceland Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Pictures
A dense forest of Pisonia grandis
White Fairy Terns ( Gygis alba) about Vostok
View from the west coast of the Pacific Ocean