Starbuck Island
Encyclopedia
Starbuck Island is an uninhabited coral atoll
in the central Pacific
, and is part of the Central Line Islands
of Kiribati
. Former names include "Barren Island", "Coral Queen Island", "Hero Island", "Low Island" and "Starve Island".
limestone
island with a steep beach backed by a 6-8 meter high bank composed of large coral fragments. Several hypersaline
lagoon
s form on the islands eastern side. These occasionally dry up, and are said to be dangerous to approach: one worker during the island's guano
-mining days sank up to his neck in salty mud before being rescued.
There is no freshwater
on the island, which is one of the drier atolls in the Line Island group
. Annual yearly rainfall averages approximately 800 mm.
Little vegetation exists on Starbuck; stunted Sida fallax
scrub and low herbs and grasses predominate, with a few Cordia subcordata bushes and bunch grass rounding out the flora. Recent photos showed a few palm trees
growing near the center of the island.
The island boasts a large colony
of Sooty Tern
s, estimated at 1.5 million pairs, together with Polynesian Rat
s, feral cat
s, Green turtles, and around fifteen other species of seabird
s. Other accounts estimate the Sooty Tern population to be as high as three to six million birds.
ship L'Aigle
. However it had probably been sighted previously that same year by his cousin and fellow-whaler Capt. Obed Starbuck. It was claimed by the United States
under the 1856 Guano Act, but controlled by Britain after 1866, when possession was taken by Commodore Swinburn of HMS Mutine. Starbuck Island was mined for phosphate between 1870 and 1893. Because of its low profile (at its highest point, the island rises to about 5 meters) and the dangerous surrounding reefs, a number of ships were wrecked at Starbuck Island in the late 19th century, including the French transport Euryale on March 10, 1870. The captain of this ship, the future contre-amiral Albert Des Portes, who stayed 35 days with his crew on the atoll before being rescued and coming back to France with all the members, finally found the right geographical location of the island.
In August 7, 1896 the Norwegian ship "Seladon" was wrecked against the barrier. The crew went into the lifeboats and drifted for 30 days until they landed on the island of Niulakita
, Tuvalu.
For 10 months they lived together with a few natives until they were picked up by a ship and rescued.
The island formed a part of the British Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony prior to the independence of Kiribati in 1979. American claims to the atoll were formally vacated in the Treaty of Tarawa
, signed that same year.
Starbuck Island has been designated a protected area by the United Nations
. It is occasionally visited by yachtsmen and scientists.
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
in the central Pacific
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 part of the Central Line Islands
Line Islands
The Line Islands, Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands, is a chain of eleven atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Hawaiian Islands, that stretches for 2,350 km in a northwest-southeast direction, making it one of the longest islands chains of the world...
of Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
. Former names include "Barren Island", "Coral Queen Island", "Hero Island", "Low Island" and "Starve Island".
Geography, flora and fauna
Located at 5°38′30"S 155°52′40"W, and measuring 8.9 km east-to-west and 3.5 km north-to-south, Starbuck Island has a land area of 1,620 hectares. It is a low, dry, coralCoral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
island with a steep beach backed by a 6-8 meter high bank composed of large coral fragments. Several hypersaline
Hypersaline lake
A hypersaline lake is a landlocked body of water that contains significant concentrations of sodium chloride or other mineral salts, with saline levels surpassing that of ocean water . Specific microbial and crustacean species thrive in these high salinity environments that are otherwise...
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,...
s form on the islands eastern side. These occasionally dry up, and are said to be dangerous to approach: one worker during the island's guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
-mining days sank up to his neck in salty mud before being rescued.
There is no freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
on the island, which is one of the drier atolls in the Line Island group
Line Islands
The Line Islands, Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands, is a chain of eleven atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Hawaiian Islands, that stretches for 2,350 km in a northwest-southeast direction, making it one of the longest islands chains of the world...
. Annual yearly rainfall averages approximately 800 mm.
Little vegetation exists on Starbuck; stunted Sida fallax
Sida fallax
Sida fallax, known as ilima in Hawaiian, is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the Hibiscus family, Malvaceae, that occurs on most of the Pacific Islands. The flowers are small, in diameter, have five petals, and are a golden yellow in color. Plants may be erect or prostrate and are found...
scrub and low herbs and grasses predominate, with a few Cordia subcordata bushes and bunch grass rounding out the flora. Recent photos showed a few palm trees
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
growing near the center of the island.
The island boasts a large colony
Bird colony
A bird colony is a large congregation of individuals of one or more species of bird that nest or roost in close proximity at a particular location. Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony...
of Sooty Tern
Sooty Tern
The Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscatus , is a seabird of the tern family . It is a bird of the tropical oceans, breeding on islands throughout the equatorial zone. Colloquially, it is known as the Wideawake Tern or just wideawake...
s, estimated at 1.5 million pairs, together with Polynesian Rat
Polynesian Rat
The Polynesian Rat, or Pacific Rat , known to the Māori as kiore, is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the Brown Rat and Black Rat. The Polynesian Rat originates in Southeast Asia but, like its cousins, has become well travelled – infiltrating Fiji and most Polynesian...
s, feral cat
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
s, Green turtles, and around fifteen other species of seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s. Other accounts estimate the Sooty Tern population to be as high as three to six million birds.
History
Starbuck Island was first sighted in 1823 by Valentine Starbuck, American-born master of the British whalingWhaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
ship L'Aigle
L'Aigle
L'Aigle is a commune in the Orne department in Basse-Normandie in north-western France.This commune used to be known as Laigle. According to Orderic Vitalis, the nest of an eagle was discovered during the construction of the castle....
. However it had probably been sighted previously that same year by his cousin and fellow-whaler Capt. Obed Starbuck. It was claimed by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the 1856 Guano Act, but controlled by Britain after 1866, when possession was taken by Commodore Swinburn of HMS Mutine. Starbuck Island was mined for phosphate between 1870 and 1893. Because of its low profile (at its highest point, the island rises to about 5 meters) and the dangerous surrounding reefs, a number of ships were wrecked at Starbuck Island in the late 19th century, including the French transport Euryale on March 10, 1870. The captain of this ship, the future contre-amiral Albert Des Portes, who stayed 35 days with his crew on the atoll before being rescued and coming back to France with all the members, finally found the right geographical location of the island.
In August 7, 1896 the Norwegian ship "Seladon" was wrecked against the barrier. The crew went into the lifeboats and drifted for 30 days until they landed on the island of Niulakita
Niulakita
Niulakita is the southernmost reef island, which is a district of Tuvalu, and the name of the only village on this island. The junior school is Lotoalofa Primary School.-Geographical features:...
, Tuvalu.
For 10 months they lived together with a few natives until they were picked up by a ship and rescued.
The island formed a part of the British Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony prior to the independence of Kiribati in 1979. American claims to the atoll were formally vacated in the Treaty of Tarawa
Treaty of Tarawa
On September 20, 1979, representatives of the newly independent Republic of Kiribati and of the United States met in Tarawa to sign a treaty of friendship between the two nations, known as the Treaty of Tarawa. In this treaty, the U.S. acknowledged Kiribati sovereignty over fourteen islands...
, signed that same year.
Starbuck Island has been designated a protected area by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. It is occasionally visited by yachtsmen and scientists.
Sources
- Bryan, Jr., Edwin H. (1942); American Polynesia and the Hawaiian Chain, Honolulu, Hawaii: Tongg Publishing Company
- Dunmore, John (1992); Who's Who in Pacific Navigation, Australia:Melbourne University Press, ISBN 052284488X
External links
- Starbuck Island
- color photo of Starbuck Island's surface: here.
- Additional photos of the island: here.