Aranuka

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Aranuka
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Map of Aranuka
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Aranuka
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Aranuka
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Aranuka
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Aranuka
Geography
Location Pacific Ocean
Coordinates 0°09′N173°35′E / 0.150°N 173.583°E / 0.150; 173.583 (Aranuka) Coordinates: 0°09′N173°35′E / 0.150°N 173.583°E / 0.150; 173.583 (Aranuka)
Archipelago Gilbert Islands
Area13.228 km2 (5.107 sq mi)
Highest elevation3 m (10 ft)
Administration
Capital cityBuariki
Demographics
Population1,125 (2015 Census)
Pop. density79.9/km2 (206.9/sq mi)
Ethnic groups I-Kiribati 99.6%

Aranuka is an atoll of Kiribati, located just north of the equator, in the Gilbert Islands. It has an area of 11.6 square kilometres (4.5 square miles) and a population of 1,057 in 2010. By local tradition, Aranuka is the central island of the Gilbert group.

Contents

Geography

Aranuka is an atoll with a triangular shape, predominantly formed by two large islands, Buariki and Takaeang, which is the other inhabited islet that lies 7.68 miles (12.36 kilometres) west of mainland Aranuka. Both islets are unusually large for an atoll of this size. These islands are connected by long sandbanks on the northern side and an underwater reef crest on the southern side which also has a wide pass to the lagoon in the centre. [1]

There is only one road that runs alongside the lagoon-side of the island where villages are located and a network of access and feeder roads running from the main road to other parts of the island. These pathways generally are wide enough to accommodate pushbikes and motorbikes but not big trucks. All villages are located on the lagoon side on both sides of the main road, easily accessed by walking, with bicycles, motorbikes and trucks. [2]

Aranuka has a lagoon, but this is not so rich in shellfish. There is a passage into the lagoon, available for the boats in moderate weather, through the middle of the reef on the southwestern side of the atoll. There are several dangerous points in the passage where tidal streams can be very strong. Aranuka is known for its old stand of Rhyzophora stylosa mangroves that have grown as tall as coconut trees and are now a breeding site for birds. These mangroves can be found towards the northern end of mainland Aranuka. [2]

Villages

The island of Aranuka had only three villages since its first establishment. In 1978, Baurua village was established with only a few inhabitants, less than 10 houses, making a total of 4 recognized villages now for Aranuka. [3] The current populations of the villages are:

Aranuka: Population and Land Area
Census AreaPopulation 2010 [4] Land area by islet [4] Density (people per hectare)
Uninhabited islets054.8 hectares (135 acres)0
Takaeang252487.4 hectares (1,204 acres)0.5
Buariki500618.9 hectares (1,529 acres)1.3
Kauake92
Baurua213
Aranuka total10571,161.1 hectares (2,869 acres)0.9

History

Residents of Aranuka Island, Kiribati welcome visitors Aranuka locals.jpg
Residents of Aranuka Island, Kiribati welcome visitors

Aranuka is by tradition the island in the middle of Kiribati and the location for the formation and separation of all the islands of Kiribati which was first started by the God of our Ancestors, Nareau. That is why Aranuka was formerly named and known as Ananuka – the middle of it. [3]

Thomas Gilbert and John Marshall, sailing in the First Fleet vessels Charlotte and Scarborough, were the first Europeans [5] to describe visiting Aranuka, in June 1788. [6]

The island was surveyed in 1841 by the US Exploring Expedition. [7]

At some point between 1860 and the late 1880s, the islands of Aranuka and Kuria were conquered by Tenkoruti (King Karotu), the paramount chief of Abemama, when a former ruler (Ten Temea) of Kuria and Aranuka gave up these two islands to King Karotu from Abemama and left for Maiana, another of the Gilbert group. They were then ruled by Tenkoruti's nephew, Tem Binoka. [3]

Aranuka Post Office opened around 1924. [8]

Tourism

Air Kiribati routes Air Kiribati route map.PNG
Air Kiribati routes

Aranuka has white sandy beaches and blue waters, and is the only island in Kiribati to have tall mangrove trees with heights of more than 15 m (49 ft).[ citation needed ] The uninhabited islets of the island also provide swimming and snorkeling spots for visitors.

Aranuka Airport is situated near the northern tip of Buariki, and is served by two flights a week from South Tarawa, which also link to Kuria. Charter boat services are also available.

Accommodation is provided by the Island Council guesthouse. [3]


Related Research Articles

Gilbert Islands Chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean

The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Papua New Guinea and Hawaii. From 1976 to 1979, they were the “British colony of the Gilbert Islands”, and before that, from 1916 to 1975, they were the “Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony”. They constitute the main part of the nation of Kiribati.

Abaiang

Abaiang, also known as Apaiang, Apia, and in the past, Charlotte Island, in the Northern Gilbert Islands, is a coral atoll of Kiribati, located in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Abaiang was the home of the first missionary to arrive in Kiribati, Hiram Bingham II. Abaiang has a population of 5,502.

Tabiteuea


Tabiteuea is an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, farther south of Tarawa. This atoll is the bigger and the most populated of the Gilbert Islands but Tarawa. The atoll consists of one main island, Aanikai in the north, and several smaller islets in between along the eastern rim of the atoll. The atoll has a total land area of 38 km2 (15 sq mi), while the lagoon measures 365 km2 (141 sq mi). The population numbered 5,261 in 2015. The islanders have customary fishing practices related to the lagoon and the open ocean.

Butaritari Atoll in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati

Butaritari is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati. The atoll is roughly four-sided. The south and southeast portion of the atoll comprises a nearly continuous islet. The atoll reef is continuous but almost without islets along the north side. Bikati and Bikatieta islets occupy a corner of the reef at the extreme northwest tip of the atoll. Small islets are found on reef sections between channels on the west side. The lagoon of Butaritari is deep and can accommodate large ships, though the entrance passages are relatively narrow. It is the most fertile of the Gilbert Islands, with relatively good soils and high rainfall. Butaritari atoll has a land area of 13.49 km2 (5.21 sq mi) and a population of 3,224 as of 2015. During World War II, Butaritari was known by United States Armed Forces as Makin Atoll, and was the site of the Battle of Makin. Locally, Makin is the name of a separate but closest atoll, 3 kilometres to the northeast of Butaritari, but close enough to be seen. These two atolls share a dialect of the Gilbertese language.

Tarawa Atoll in the South Pacific

Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, in the central Pacific Ocean. It comprises North Tarawa, which has 6,629 inhabitants and much in common with other more remote islands of the Gilberts group, and South Tarawa, which has 56,388 inhabitants as of 2015, half of the country's total population. The atoll was the site of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II.

Abemama

Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located 152 kilometres southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of 27.37 square kilometres and a population of 3,299 as of 2015. The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part of the atoll of Abemama is linked together by causeways making automobile traffic possible between the different islets. The outlying islands of Abatiku and Biike are situated on the southwestern side of the atoll.

UTC+12:00

UTC+12:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +12:00.

Aranuka Airport

Aranuka Airport is an airport, located approximately one kilometre north of the centre of Buariki village on the island of Buariki, Aranuka, Kiribati.

Beru (atoll)

Beru is an atoll in the Southern Gilbert Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Republic of Kiribati. Beru was previously known as Eliza, Francis Island, Maria, Peroat, Peru Island or Sunday. Beru is home of 2,051 inhabitants.

Kuria (atoll)

Kuria is an atoll, formed by a pair of islets, in the Central Gilbert Islands in Kiribati, northwest of Aranuka. The two islets, Buariki and Oneeke, are separated by a 20 metre wide channel on a shallow water platform, which is crossed by a bridge of the connecting road. The islands are surrounded by fringing reef which is broadest on the eastern side of Kuria. The population of Kuria was 1,046 in 2015.

Maiana

Maiana is an atoll in Kiribati and is one of the Central Gilbert Islands. Maiana is 44 kilometres (27 mi) south of the capital island of South Tarawa and has a population of 1,982 as of 2015. The northern and eastern sides of the atoll are a single island, whilst the western edge consists of submerged reefs and many uninhabited islets, all surrounding a lagoon. The atoll is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) long and is very narrow, with an average width of less than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) and a total land area of 16.72 square kilometres (6.46 sq mi).

Nonouti

Nonouti is an atoll and district of Kiribati. The atoll is located in the Southern Gilbert Islands, 38 km north of Tabiteuea, and 250 km south of Tarawa. The atoll is the third largest in the Gilbert Islands and is the island where the Roman Catholic religion was first established in Kiribati, in 1888.

Onotoa

Onotoa is an atoll of Kiribati. It is situated in the Gilbert Islands in the Pacific Ocean, 65 km (40 mi) from Tamana, the smallest island in the Gilberts. The population of Onotoa in the 2015 census was 1,393.

Makin (atoll)

Makin is the name of an atoll, chain of islands, located in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati. Makin is the northernmost of the Gilbert Islands, with a population of 1,990.

Buariki may refer to several places in Kiribati:

Buariki (Tarawa)

Buariki is an island in northern Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands of the Republic of Kiribati. It was the site of the Battle of Buariki in World War II.

Coral Sun Airways

Coral Sun Airways is the younger of two Kiribati airlines, established in January 2009. The airline operated domestic service to all 17 airports in the Gilbert Islands, but stopped any regular service and offers only on-demand and chartered flights. In 2015 it purchased one new, larger aircraft, capable of flying to the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands. There was no domestic nor international service to these remote archipelagos to the east of the Gilbert Islands, having 8,800 and 20 inhabitants, respectively, except for one weekly flight on Fiji Airways between Honolulu and Kiritimati (Christmas) Island among the Line Islands, and Air Kiribati domestic flights between the Line Islands.

Thomas Gilbert was an 18th-century British mariner.

North Tarawa A string of islets in Kiribati governed by the Eutan Tarawa Council

North Tarawa or in Gilbertese Tarawa Ieta, in the Republic of Kiribati, is the string of islets from Buariki at the northern tip of Tarawa atoll to Buota in the South, with a combined population of 6,629 as of 2015. It is administratively separate from neighbouring South Tarawa, and is governed by the Eutan Tarawa Council (ETC), based at Abaokoro.

Coral reefs of Kiribati Pacific Ocean Island chain

The Coral reefs of Kiribati consists of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, Banaba, which is an isolated island between Nauru and the Gilbert Islands. The islands of Kiribati are dispersed over 3.5 million km2 (1.4 million sq mi) of the Pacific Ocean and straddle the equator and the 180th meridian, extending into the eastern and western hemispheres, as well as the northern and southern hemispheres. 21 of the 33 islands are inhabited. The groups of islands of Kiribati are:

References

  1. ↑ "Arunuka". Archived from the original on 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2009-03-14., Oceandots.com 2007 (accessed 19 January 2007)
  2. 1 2 "10. Aranuka" (PDF). Office of Te Beretitent - Republic of Kiribati Island Report Series. 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Aranuka factsheet". Kiribati Tourism, Government of Kiribati. Archived from the original on 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  4. 1 2 "Kiribati Census Report 2010 Volume 1" (PDF). National Statistics Office, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Government of Kiribati. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-30.
  5. ↑ “As, however, it seemed probable, even to a layman, that neither of the captains could have seen Abemama, their narratives and Marshall's log were referred to Captain Brett Hilder, a leading navigational authority on the area, who has established that Hopper's Island was actually the main (or eastern) islet of ARANUKA, Henderville's the smaller western islet on the same reef and Woodle's the island of KURIA.” Henry Evans Maude.
  6. ↑ Samuel Eliot Morison (1944-05-22). "The Gilberts & Marshalls: A distinguished historian recalls the past of two recently captured pacific groups". Life magazine . Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  7. ↑ Stanton, William (1975). The Great United States Exploring Expedition . Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.  245. ISBN   0520025571.
  8. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
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