 Western entrance to Nikumaroro's lagoon as seen from near the village ruins | |
 Map of Nikumaroro | |
  Nikumaroro  Nikumaroro | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 4°40′32″S 174°31′4″W / 4.67556°S 174.51778°W |
| Archipelago | Phoenix Islands |
| Length | 6 km (3.7 mi) |
| Width | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Administration | |
| Phoenix Islands Protected Area | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Nikumaroro, previously known as Kemins Island or Gardner Island, is a part of the Phoenix Islands, Kiribati, in the western Pacific Ocean. It is a remote, elongated, triangular coral atoll with profuse vegetation and a large central marine lagoon. Nikumaroro is about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long by 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide. The rim has two narrow entrances, both of which are blocked by a wide reef, which is dry at low tide. The ocean beyond the reef is very deep, and the only anchorage is at the island's west end, across the reef from the ruins of a mid-20th-century British colonial village, but this is safe only with the southeast trade winds. Landing has always been difficult and is most often done south of the anchorage. Although occupied at various times during the past, the island is uninhabited today.
Kiribati declared the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in 2006, with the park being expanded in 2008. The 425,300-km2 (164,200-mi2) marine reserve contains eight coral atolls including Nikumaroro.[1][2]
Nikumaroro has notably been the focus of considerable speculation and exploration as a possible location where pilot Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan might have landed in July 1937 when they vanished during their ill-fated flight to circumnavigate the globe.[3][4][5] However, to date, no conclusive evidence of her plane has been found on or in the vicinity of the island.[6]
- ^ Howard, Brian Clark (16 June 2014). "Pacific Nation Bans Fishing in One of World's Largest Marine Parks". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ^ "Phoenix Islands Protected Area". Government of Kiribati. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "US reportedly to search again for Amelia Earhart's plane". MSNBC. 19 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Pruitt, Sarah (29 October 2014). "Researchers Identify Fragment of Amelia Earhart's Plane". history.com. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ Resture, Jane. "Gardner Island (Nikumaroro) Phoenix Group". Jane Resture. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ Cohn, Julie (14 October 2019). "The Amelia Earhart Mystery Stays Down in the Deep". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 November 2019.