Ebon Atoll

Ebon Atoll

NASA picture of Ebon Atoll
Ebon Atoll (Marshall islands)
Geography
Location	North Pacific
Coordinates	04°38′00″N 168°43′00″E
Archipelago	Ralik
Total islands	22
Area	5.75 km2 (2.22 sq mi)
Highest elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Country
Marshall Islands
Demographics
Population	714 (as of 1998)
Ethnic groups	Marshallese

Ebon Atoll (Marshallese: Epoon, /ɦʲɜpʲɜɦˠʷɜnʲ/ or [ɛ̯ɛbɛ͡ɔɔ̯ɔ͡ɛn]) is a coral atoll of 22 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only 5.75 square kilometres (2.22 sq mi), but it encloses a deep lagoon with an area of 104 square kilometres (40 sq mi). A passage leads to the lagoon from the southwest edge of the atoll. The winding passage is called "Ebon Channel". Ebon Atoll is located approximately 155 kilometres (96 mi) south of Jaluit, and is the southern most landmass of the Marshall Islands as it is on the southern extremity of the Ralik Chain.

History

Ebon Atoll was a center for commercial whaling in the 19th century, as well as European missionary activities from 1857. It was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884, and the Germans established a trading outpost. After World War I, the island came under the South Pacific Mandate of the Empire of Japan. Following the end of World War II, it came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986.

References

• Visit of Brig Vision to Ebon in 1874
• Marshall Islands site
• Oceandots entry for Ebon