Mejit
Encyclopedia
Mejit is an island in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain
of the Marshall Islands
. Unlike most of the other islands of the Marshall Islands, Mejit is a stony island rather than a coral atoll, although it is surrounded by a fringing coral reef
enclosing a narrow lagoon. It is located east of the main line of the Ratak chain, approximately 110 kilometres (68.4 mi) northeast from Wotje.
With an estimated population of 300 people, the island is lush in pandanus
, breadfruit
and taro
. To the residents, this island is known as 'Paradise". It has a beautiful fresh water lake (rare in the Marshall Islands) with indigenous ducks. Mejit is famous for its pandanus leaf mats.
An airstrip, Mejit Airport
, bisects the island. Its is served by Air Marshall Islands
.
, sailing in Russian service, made landfall at Mejit Island on January 1, 1817, and named it New Year's Island. In 1884 Mejit was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands, and the Germans established a trading outpost. After World War I, 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.
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...
. Unlike most of the other islands of the Marshall Islands, Mejit is a stony island rather than a coral atoll, although it is surrounded by a fringing coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
enclosing a narrow lagoon. It is located east of the main line of the Ratak chain, approximately 110 kilometres (68.4 mi) northeast from Wotje.
With an estimated population of 300 people, the island is lush in pandanus
Pandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
, breadfruit
Breadfruit
Breadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, growing throughout Southeast Asia and most Pacific Ocean islands...
and taro
Taro
Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
. To the residents, this island is known as 'Paradise". It has a beautiful fresh water lake (rare in the Marshall Islands) with indigenous ducks. Mejit is famous for its pandanus leaf mats.
An airstrip, Mejit Airport
Mejit Airport
Mejit Airport is a public use airstrip on Mejit Island, Marshall Islands. This airstrip is assigned the location identifier Q30 by the FAA and MJB by the IATA.- Facilities :...
, bisects the island. Its is served by Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands is an airline based in Majuro, in the Marshall Islands. It is the flag carrier of the Marshall Islands, operating inter-island services in the South Pacific. Its main base is Marshall Islands International Airport, Majuro.- History :...
.
History
The German navigator Otto von KotzebueOtto von Kotzebue
Otto von Kotzebue was a Baltic German navigator in Russian service....
, sailing in Russian service, made landfall at Mejit Island on January 1, 1817, and named it New Year's Island. In 1884 Mejit was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands, and the Germans established a trading outpost. After World War I, 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, it came under the control of the United States 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.