Namonuito Atoll, also called Namonweito, Weito, or Magur Islands, is the largest

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gro ...

of the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states compr ...

and of the

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the ce ...

with a total area of , unless one considers the still larger Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon as a type of atoll in an early stage of development. In

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, ...

, only

Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

Atoll of the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Inte ...

is still larger. Namonuito Atoll lies in the northwestern region (''Oksoritod'') of

Chuuk State Chuuk State (; also known as Truk) is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State, Pohnpei State, and Yap State. It consists of several island groups: * Namoneas * Faichuuk * Hall Is ...

, the largest federal state of the Federated States of Micronesia, about northwest of Chuuk Lagoon (measured from Pisaras Islet to the northern and western parts of the fringing reef of Chuuk Lagoon. It is roughly triangular in shape, with the base running along its southern side. The southwest corner of the triangle is marked by Ulul islet, the main island (largest and most populated), also called Onoun. The other islets lie mostly on the northeast side, from Pisaras islet in the southeast corner to Magur (Makur) islet in the north corner. The 12 islets have an aggregate land area of only . The total population is 1,341 (

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000). The reef rim of the atoll is submerged for the greater part and is marked by the lighter colour of the water over it. The depths on the reef range from . The reef appears to be in the process of formation and can be crossed at many places. The lagoon is not of uniform depth. Except for a patch, located west of Pisaras island, and a detached reef, with depths of , located about of Pisaras, there appears to be a depth greater than on the scattered lagoon coral heads. Pisaras Island has coconut palms and other trees growing on it. Reefs extend northwest and west-northwest from the island, enclosing a shallow and foul

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

. Ulul Island is densely covered with coconut palms. A drying reef fringes the island. There is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

on the island. The atoll is home to five of the 40

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

of Chuuk state, listed in counterclockwise sequence, with population (2000):

History

Namonuito was first visited by Spanish explorers on the

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch ...

'' San Jerónimo'' on 5 July 1566. At Pisaras Island, the rebel pilot Lope Martín and his gang of

mutineers Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among mem ...

(thirteen soldiers and thirteen sailors) murdered Captain Pero Sánchez Pericón and other expedition members, and were subsequently marooned. Onou Island was later visited by Spanish naval officer

Juan Antonio de Ibargoitia ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

commanding the vessel ''Filipino'' in 1801 who charted it as ''Anonima'' (Anonymous).

Onoun Airfield

Onoun Airfield is located on the west side of the atoll.

Caroline Islands Air Caroline Islands Air is a charted air carrier based in the Caroline Islands. Founded in 1995 as Caroline Pacific Air and renamed in 1997. Destinations * Pohnpei International Airport – former base 1995–2020 * Yap International Airport – ...

has chartered service. Aircraft land on a chipseal runway.

References

External links

Sailing_Directions
_(enroute),_page_263.html" ;"title="Sailing Directions">Sailing Directions
(enroute), page 263">Sailing Directions">Sailing Directions
(enroute), page 263
exact islet coordinates

historic census data, population densities

{{authority control Atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk State