Lae Atoll (Marshallese: Lae, [lʲ][1]) is a coral atoll of 20 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only 1.5 square kilometres (0.58 sq mi), but it encloses a lagoon with an area of 17.7 square kilometres (6.8 sq mi). It is located approximately 47 kilometres (29 mi) east of Ujae Atoll.
The population of Lae Atoll was 319 in 1998.
History
Lae Atoll 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, Lae came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. It has been part of the independent Republic of the Marshall Islands since 1986.
