Nikumaroro

Nikumaroro, previously known as Kemins Island or Gardner Island, is part of the Phoenix Islands in Kiribati, located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is a remote, elongated, triangular coral atoll covered in plants, with a large central marine lagoon. The island measures about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long by 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide. Though people have lived there at different times in the past, Nikumaroro has no permanent residents today.

In 2006, Kiribati created the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, which was expanded in 2008. This huge marine reserve, covering 425,300 km² (164,200 mi²), includes eight coral atolls, one of which is Nikumaroro.

Nikumaroro has gained attention for being a possible spot where pilot Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan may have landed in July 1937. They disappeared while trying to fly around the world. Some small clues found on the island suggest a European or American woman might have been there, but no clear proof of Earhart’s plane or her presence has ever been discovered.

Features

Nikumaroro has two narrow entrances in its rim: Tatiman Passage and Baureke Passage. Both are bordered by a wide fringing reef, which creates a coral beach when the tide is low. The ocean beyond the reef is very deep, and the best place to anchor boats is at the west end of the island. This spot is safe only when the southeast trade winds are blowing. Landing on the island has always been tricky, usually happening south of the anchorage spot. Sometimes, larger boats tie up near the wreck of the SS Norwich City, which ran aground there in 1929.

Geography

Thick scrub and Pisonia forest cover Nikumaroro. The trees can grow up to 15 meters (49 feet) tall and leave rich soil from their leaves. There are also coconut palms left from old attempts to grow crops on the island between 1893 and 1963.

The island has very little fresh water, which made it hard for people to live there. This was one reason a British project to colonize the island did not succeed from 1938 to 1963.

Flora and fauna

Nikumaroro is sometimes visited by biologists because of its many marine and avian ecosystems. The atoll has coconut crabs, migratory birds, and many rats. Several kinds of sharks and bottlenose dolphins have been seen in the waters around it.

The island is part of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area and is an Important Bird Area, especially for its group of red-tailed tropicbirds that breed there.

Pre-history

Evidence of prehistoric occupation

Little is known about people living on the island before 1824. In 1989, a group from TIGHAR visited the island and thought they found old fish traps along the shore, which might show that people lived there long ago. They also found a stone tool made of basalt, called an adze.

Identity of prehistoric peoples

Ancient settlements on nearby islands like Manra and Orona may have been started around 1000 BC. People from places such as Samoa, the Marquesas, and the Cook Islands brought stone tools to these islands between the 12th and 14th centuries AD. There is a chance that Nikumaroro was also home to early settlers. On Manra and Orona, archaeologists found clues that suggest two different groups of people lived there—one from eastern Polynesia and another from Micronesia.

History

19th-century sightings and claims

Nikumaroro was known by many names in the early 1800s, such as Kemins' Island and Mary Letitia's Island. The first European to see it was Capt. C. Kemiss on the British whaling ship Eliza Ann in 1824. In 1840, the USS Vincennes of the U.S. Exploring Expedition called it Gardner Island, a name that came from a U.S. Congressman named Gideon Gardner.

In 1856, an American company claimed the island, but no one lived there. In 1892, the United Kingdom claimed it and tried to plant coconuts, but this failed because of drought.

SS Norwich City wreck

In 1929, a big British ship called the SS Norwich City ran aground on Nikumaroro during a storm. The crew tried to escape, but some people did not survive. The survivors stayed on the island for a few days before being rescued. Parts of the ship stayed on the reef for many years.

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared in 1937 while flying near Nikumaroro, which was then called Gardner Island. People have searched the island for clues about what happened to them. Some items found there, like old beauty products and pieces of metal, have made people wonder if Earhart and Noonan may have landed there. However, no clear proof has been found to confirm this.

British settlement scheme

In 1938, British officials brought settlers to Nikumaroro to try to build a small community. They cleared land and planted coconuts, but the island had very little fresh water, making it hard to survive. By the 1960s, the settlement was abandoned, and the island was left empty.

Kiribati

In 1979, the island became part of Kiribati when the country gained independence. It was renamed Nikumaroro, a name that comes from local legends.

Island folklore

The island of Nikumaroro is named after a legendary goddess called Nei Manganibuka from the Gilbertese people. Legends say she came from Samoa and taught the Gilbertese people how to build canoes and navigate the ocean. The name was given by locals who traveled with British visitors in 1938. In the Gilbertese language, “Nei” means something like “Miss” and “Manganibuka” means “old woman of the Buka trees.”

Stories also tell of a special meeting place called the Ghost Maneaba. According to legend, the first leader’s wife saw a grand meeting house where Nei Manganibuka sat with children and wise elders, talking about a bright future for the island. That place is now called Kanawa Point.