Lae Atoll

Lae Atoll (Marshallese: Lae, [lʲɑːɛ][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 347 in 2011.

Lae Atoll
NASA false-color photograph of Lae Atoll
Lae Atoll
Geography
LocationNorth Pacific
Coordinates08°56′10″N 166°14′15″E
ArchipelagoRalik
Total islands20
Area1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi)
Highest elevation3 m (10 ft)
Administration
Demographics
Population347 (2011)
Ethnic groupsMarshallese

History

In early 1884, Japanese explorer and agent Suzuki Tsunenori was dispatched to Lae Atoll to investigate the murder of a Japanese sailor. When he arrived, he raised the national flag and claimed the island for Japan. However, he was ordered to return to the island to take down the flag, and the government made no formal gestures towards annexation of the islands.[2] Lae Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands later that year, 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.

Education

Marshall Islands Public School System operates Lae Elementary School.[3]

Kwajalein Atoll High School on Kwajalein serves the community.[4]

References

  1. Marshallese-English Dictionary - Place Name Index
  2. Schuler, Friedrich (2015). Secret Wars and Secret Policies in the Americas, 1842-1929. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826344908.
  3. "Public Schools Archived 2018-02-21 at the Wayback Machine." Marshall Islands Public School System. Retrieved on February 21, 2018.
  4. "Annual Report 2011-2012." Ministry of Education (Marshall Islands). Retrieved on February 22, 2018. p. 54 (PDF p. 55/118). "Kwajalein Atoll High School enrolls students from Kwajalein and the Kabinmeto zone including schools in Ujae, Lae, and Wotto."



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