Lib Island (
Marshallese: , ) is an island in the Pacific Ocean. It is a legislative district of the
Ralik Chain
The Ralik Chain ( Marshallese: , ) is a chain of islands within the island nation of the Marshall Islands. Ralik means "sunset". It is west of the Ratak Chain. In 1999 the total population of the Ralik islands was 19,915. Christopher Loeak, wh ...
of the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
The territory consists of 29 c ...
. Its total land area is . The population of Lib Island was 156 as per the 2021 census.
History
The first recorded sighting by Europeans of Lib Island happened on 8 January 1565 by
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
navigator
Alonso de Arellano commanding
patache ''San Lucas''. It was charted by Arellano as ''Los Nadadores'' ("The Swimmers" in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
). In his account of the sighting, Arellano stated that the inhabitants of Lib would be fine for pulling an oar in a galley, being big and well made, and were warlike people, being expert in throwing stones with slings. He also expressed an opinion that they must be of
the Devil
Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or 'e ...
because their island was a thousand
leagues from firm land.
Captain Thomas Dennet of the British vessel ''Britannia'' sighted the island in 1797 on route from Australia to China and named it Princess Island.
Education
Marshall Islands Public School System operates Lib Elementary School.
Public Schools
." Marshall Islands Public School System. Retrieved on February 21, 2018.
References
External links
Ralik Chain
Municipalities of the Marshall Islands
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