Ant Atoll (also

romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

as Ahnd Atoll) is a small

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

lying off the west coast of

Pohnpei Pohnpei (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, from Pohnpeian: "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')") is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei State, one of the fou ...

in the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a region of Oceania. The federation encompasses the majority of the Caroline Islands (excluding Palau) and consists of four Admin ...

. Along with the nearby Pakin Atoll, these islands constitute the Senyavin group of islands. There is evidence of an ancient civilization on the island, which might have been built by the same people who built the nearby

Nan Madol Nan Madol is an archaeological site adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei, now part of the Madolenihmw district of Pohnpei state in the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. Nan Madol was the capital o ...

. According to tradition, semi-mythical hero king

Isokelekel Isokelekel was a semi-mythical hero warrior and demigod who founded pre-modern Pohnpei sometime in the 1500s to the early 1600s. He invaded the island, ended the oppressive rule of the Saudeleur dynasty, and instituted the decentralized chiefdom ( ...

first arrived at and lived in Ant, learning from its people's customs, before conquering Pohnpei from the Nan Madol. Ant's first European visitor was Álvaro de Saavedra on 14 September 1529 shortly before his death, in his second attempt to return from

Tidore Tidore (, lit. "City of Tidore Islands") is a city, island, and archipelago in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia, west of the larger island of Halmahera. Part of North Maluku Province, the city includes the island of Tidore (with three sm ...

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

. It was later visited by

Pedro Fernandes de Queirós Pedro Fernandes de Queirós () (1563–1614) was a Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain. He is best known for leading several Spanish voyages of discovery in the Pacific Ocean, in particular the 1595–1596 voyage of Álvaro de Mendaña y ...

, commanding the Spanish ship ''San Jeronimo'' on 23 December 1595. Fernandez de Quirós had assumed the command of the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña after his death Etienne DeCroissant briefly sailed by the islands on her exploration trip to the region. Ant is a popular site with tourists for diving and snorkelling, and is the site of several colonies of seabirds, notably black noddies. There is a small settlement on the atoll that is inhabited part-time by the Rohsa (traditional leader) of

Kitti Kitti may refer to: * Kitti's hog-nosed bat * Kitti, Federated States of Micronesia * Kitti (name) ** Marko Kitti ** Kitti Thonglongya ** Kitti Kudor ** Kitti Gróz ** Kitti Becséri ** Kitti Sri Megha See also

*Kiti (disambiguation) {{disam ...

, William Hawley, who privately owns the island, and works with NGO OneReef to guard against poaching and maintain conservation for the atoll.

References

{{coord, 6.776, 157.961, dim:50000_region:FM, display=title Atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia Islands of Pohnpei Uninhabited islands of the Federated States of Micronesia