Knox Atoll
Encyclopedia
Knox Atoll is an unihabited coral atoll of 18 islands in the Pacific Ocean
, and is the southernmost atoll of the Ratak Chain
of the Marshall Islands
. The total land area is only 0.98 square kilometre (0.378380115420684 sq mi), but it encloses a largely sand-filled lagoon
with an area of 3.42 square kilometres (1.3 sq mi). The atoll measures 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) in length and is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide. The largest islets, located on the western and northern sides, include Aelingeo, Nadikdik and Nariktal. The atoll is connected by the Klee Passage
to the southern point of Mili Atoll
to which it was once connected.
, the island came under the South Pacific Mandate
of the Empire of Japan
. 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
until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986.
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, and is the southernmost atoll of the Ratak Chain
Ratak Chain
The Ratak Chain is a chain of islands within the island nation of the Marshall Islands. Ratak means "sunrise". It lies just to the east of the country's other main island chain, the Ralik Chain...
of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. The total land area is only 0.98 square kilometre (0.378380115420684 sq mi), but it encloses a largely sand-filled lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
with an area of 3.42 square kilometres (1.3 sq mi). The atoll measures 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) in length and is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide. The largest islets, located on the western and northern sides, include Aelingeo, Nadikdik and Nariktal. The atoll is connected by the Klee Passage
Klee Passage
Klee Passage is a shallow channel of water which separates Knox Atoll from Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands.A submarine sand bank is located directly under the water channel. Due to this sand bank, the passage is not accessible to large sea vessels which could easily get embedded in the sand...
to the southern point of Mili Atoll
Mili Atoll
Mili Atoll is a coral atoll of 92 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is located approximately southeast of Arno Its total land area is making it the second largest of the Marshall Islands after Kwajalein. It encloses a...
to which it was once connected.
History
Knox Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884. After World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the island came under the South Pacific Mandate
South Pacific Mandate
The was the Japanese League of Nations mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:Under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after the start of World...
of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. Following the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it came under the control of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1986.-History:...
until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986.