Oeno Island

Oeno
	Satellite photo of Oeno Island
Geography
Location	Southern Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	23°55′36″S 130°44′14″W / 23.92667°S 130.73722°W
Total islands	2–3
Area	20 km2 (7.7 sq mi)
Administration
	Pitcairn Islands
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

Oeno Island (/oʊˈiːnoʊ/ oh-EE-noh)^[1] or Holiday Island is a coral atoll in the South Pacific Ocean, part of the Pitcairn Islands overseas territory.

Geography

Located 143 kilometres (89 mi) northwest of Pitcairn Island, Oeno Atoll measures about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in diameter, including the central lagoon, with a total area exceeding 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi). There are two larger and three smaller islets on or within the rim of the atoll. Their aggregate land area is only 0.69 square kilometres (170 acres). Oeno Island serves as a private holiday site for the few residents of Pitcairn Island, who travel there and stay for two weeks in January.^[2]

The main island (Oeno), about 50 hectares (120 acres) in area, has forest and scrub with pandanus and palm trees. It is located in the southwest part of the atoll's lagoon. There is a water tap installed on the island.^[3] The maximum elevation is less than 5 metres (16 ft). Sandy Island (or Islands) is to the northeast and may be an ephemeral island. Three smaller islets are to the south and west of the main island.

Important Bird Area

The island has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) principally for its colony of Murphy's petrels, which, at some 12,500 pairs, is estimated to be the second largest colony of these birds in the world.^[4]

Maps

Oeno

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Location of Oeno Island in the Pacific Ocean

Map of Oeno Island
Map of Pitcairn Islands

References

^ The name is not Polynesian but Greek. The island was named after the whaling ship Œno /ˈiːnoʊ/. However, the islanders pronounce as if each vowel letter were a syllable, as in Polynesian names.
^ South Pacific & Micronesia. Lonely Planet. 2006. p. 427. ISBN 978-1-74104-304-4. Unless you've got your own yacht, your only chance of getting to Oeno is in January, when Pitcairners fit out two of their longboats with essential supplies and swap everyday life on Pitcairn for a fortnight's summer holiday on Oeno.
^ Fresh water is pumped out of a well dug in the sand – library.puc.edu
^ BirdLife International. "Oeno Island". Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs). Retrieved 3 November 2012.

External links

Oeno Photo Tour – Pitcairners spending holidays on the island
Island Evolution: Oeno Island from NASA Earth Observatory
Map of Oeno Island

[1] The name is not Polynesian but Greek. The island was named after the whaling ship Œno /ˈiːnoʊ/. However, the islanders pronounce as if each vowel letter were a syllable, as in Polynesian names.

[2] South Pacific & Micronesia. Lonely Planet. 2006. p. 427. ISBN 978-1-74104-304-4. Unless you've got your own yacht, your only chance of getting to Oeno is in January, when Pitcairners fit out two of their longboats with essential supplies and swap everyday life on Pitcairn for a fortnight's summer holiday on Oeno.

[3] Fresh water is pumped out of a well dug in the sand – library.puc.edu

[BirdLife_Oeno_Island-4] BirdLife International. "Oeno Island". Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs). Retrieved 3 November 2012.

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