Namdrik Atoll or Namorik Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of two islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms 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 only , but it encloses a lagoon with an area of . The atoll had a population of 299 at the 2021 census. Namdrik Atoll is located approximately west-southwest of Jaluit, and northwest of

Ebon Atoll Ebon Atoll (Marshallese language, Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 22 islands in the Pacific Ocean, forming a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its land area is , and it encloses a deep lagoon with an area of . ...

. The atoll consists of two large wooded islets. The larger (also called Namorik) wraps around the central lagoon from the southwest to the northeast, while the smaller island closes off the northwest corner of the lagoon. A coral islet stands between them on the reef, with numerous black boulders. The very shallow lagoon is cut off from the sea by the drying coral reef. Boats can cross the reef with difficulty, at

high water High Water or Highwater may refer to: * High water, the state of tide when the water rises to its highest level. Film and television * Highwater (film), ''Highwater'' (film), a 2008 documentary * ''Step Up: High Water'', a web television series * ...

on the west side of the atoll. Landing near the west side of Namorik Islet can be effected about 90 m south of it. There is no shelter during northeast winds, and it is dangerous with strong southwest winds when there is a heavy sea. There is a fringing reef which extends about 135 m in the vicinity of the landing place. There is a depth of about 1.2 m and there are rocks in places. Two stranded wrecks lie about 90 m off the south shore along the reef line. (Sailing Directions Pub-153)

History

In 1835, the captain and crew of the Whaling Ship Awashonks were killed by Namdrik Islanders. Namdrik Atoll was claimed by the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1885. After World War I, the island came under the

South Seas Mandate The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the " South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following W ...

of the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

. Following the end of World War II, it came under the control of the United States as part of the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...

until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986. Namdrik Atoll has a population of approximately 500. It is the smallest inhabited atoll in the Marshall Islands and consists of just two islands, Namdrik and Matemat. There are three churches, and one elementary school with approximately 200 students. The school employs about 9 teachers (K-8) and usually has a World Teach volunteer teacher to teach English as a Second Language. The atoll has an airstrip that receives an Air Marshall Islands flight once or twice a fortnight. Namdrik Atoll recently invested in pearl farming in the lagoon, and has received a grant from AusAid to buy machinery that turns copra into coconut oil. There is one truck on Namdrik that transports coconuts from around the island to the dock. There was no fighting on Namdrik Atoll during World War II. Most buildings on Namdrik are powered by solar power, though there are a few generators on-island. A supply boat stops at Namdrik every month or two, with the large 'Field Trip Ships' usually stopping three times in a year. Ships cannot enter Namdrik's lagoon without banking on a reef, so unloading ships need to wait 'ocean side' for small Namdrik boats to travel between ship and shore to load and unload all of the goods. Namdrik Atoll made international headlines in November 2011 when two fishermen from Kiribati turned up alive on the island after drifting for thirty-three days at sea. The mayor of Namdrik Atoll is Mr. Clarence Luther. The recently deceased senator for Namdrik Atoll was Mattlan Zackhras.

Education

Marshall Islands Public School System operates Namdrik Elementary School. Students are zoned to Jaluit High School in Jaluit Atoll.Annual Report 2011-2012
." Ministry of Education (Marshall Islands). Retrieved on February 22, 2018. p. 54 (PDF p. 55/118). "As such, Jaluit High School enroll students from the Ralik and Iolab school zones including schools from Ebon, Namdrik, Kili, Jaluit, Ailinglaplap, Jabat, and Namu."

References

External links

EVS-Islands: Namorik Atoll MH
*
Namdrik Info PageOfficial Namdrik Facebook PageSeacology's Page on Namdrik PearlsPearl-Guide's Page on Namdrik Pearls
{{authority control IUCN Category VI Atolls of the Marshall Islands Ralik Chain Municipalities of the Marshall Islands Ramsar sites in the Marshall Islands