Kili Island (also known as
Kili Atoll) is a 0.93 square kilometer island located in the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
at . It is a member of the
Marshall IslandsThe Marshall Islands , officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. This nation of roughly 62,000 people is located north of Nauru and...
and is located in the
Ralik ChainThe Ralik Chain is a chain of islands within the island nation of the Marshall Islands. Ralik means "sunset". , the total population of the Ralik islands is 19,915.List of atolls and isolated islands in the chain:* Enewetak Atoll* Ujelang Atoll...
. The island is one of the smallest islands to form the Marshall Islands. It is a low coral formation of 0.93 km². It is situated southwest of
JaluitJaluit Atoll is an atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is a legislative district of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but that encloses a lagoon of ., the population of the islands of Jaluit Atoll is 1,669....
.
Kili was uninhabited until November 2, 1948 at which point, the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Government relocated the
Bikini AtollBikini Atoll is an atoll in one of the Micronesian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands. It consists of 23 islands surrounding a lagoon...
's indigenous population there while Bikini was used for nuclear tests. The population today is approximately 600 people, composed primarily of descendants of refugees of Bikini.
Kili has no
lagoonA lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. Thus, the enclosed body of water behind a barrier reef or barrier islands or enclosed by an atoll reef is called a lagoon. This...
or
reefIn nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
protection. The island cannot be reached by ship four months out of the year because of rough seas. However, there is a grass airstrip on the island. Air Marshall Islands sends two flights per week to Kili when the planes are operational. The main agricultural product is
copraCopra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut.-Production:Coconut oil is traditionally extracted by grating or grinding copra, then boiling it in water. It was long used by Pacific island cultures and became a valuable commercial product for merchants in the South Seas and South Asia in the...
. Residents are supported through trust agreements between the United States and the Marshall Islands yielding about $15 per person per year.
Island produce consists of (in descending order of quantity)
coconutsCOcOnuts is the second album released by Jane, comprising Animal Collective member Panda Bear, and Scott Mou. It was originally self-released on CD-R's, but later became the first album released by Psych-o-path Records in 2005. The Psych-o-path version was remastered by Rusty Santos and Edik...
,
limesA limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire....
,
breadfruitBreadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, that is native to the Malay Peninsula and western Pacific islands. It has also been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere.- Description :...
, squash, bananas, papayas, and sugar cane. Fishing in the ocean around the island is more difficult than it would be with the protection of a
lagoonA lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. Thus, the enclosed body of water behind a barrier reef or barrier islands or enclosed by an atoll reef is called a lagoon. This...
. The island is also overpopulated because it did not grow organically, but was relocated from the larger atoll of Bikini. Thus the local population relies on imports in addition to local resources. Each family on the island receives 2-3 shipments a year consisting of 1-2 boxes of frozen chicken, 2-4 50-lb bags of flour, and 2-4 bags of rice; this shipment is provided by the Bikinian government in conjunction with the U.S. government. Imports are overseen by the Bikini Public Works Department, which also maintains houses and runs the power plant on the island. There is currently a government effort to increase farming on the island, but the coral reef soil is poor. However, there is a small farm that produces melons and some vegetables. There are several small stores operated out of homes that provide nonperishable food items such as salt, tabasco, candy, and canned items.
Families on Kili live in cinderblock houses with air-conditioning and electricity. Most houses on Kili have kitchens, but many prefer to cook outdoors in cook-huts over an open flame.
Kili has two Christian churches: the Assembly of God and Protestant church.
There is an Elementary school on Kili for students from Kindergarten to eighth grade. There is a class for each age group, in addition to one class for students with special needs. Classes typically range in size from 6 to 18 students. Some of the teachers are native to Kili, some come from neighboring islands. In addition, the Dartmouth Volunteer Teaching Program has placed 2-4 American volunteer teachers at the school every year since 2002. The American volunteers stay and teach for one or more years. Toward the end of their eight grade year, students must pass a standardized test to gain admission to public high school in Jaluit or
MajuroMajuro , population 25,400 people , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Built on an atoll of 64 islands, the Majuro Atoll, Majuro has a port, shopping district, hotels, and an international airport...
.
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