Rongelap Atoll
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 Rongelap Atoll
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| Geography | |
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| Location | North Pacific |
| Coordinates | 11°19′N 166°47′E / 11.317°N 166.783°E |
| Archipelago | Ralik |
| Total islands | 61 |
| Area | 8.0 km2 (3.1 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 19 |
| Ethnic groups | Marshallese |
Rongelap Atoll /ˈrɒŋɡəlæp/ RONG-gə-lap (Marshallese: Ron̄ļap, [rʷɔŋʷ(ɔ͡ʌ)ɫɑ͡æpʲ]) or Namorik Atoll is a coral atoll of 61 islands (or motus) in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is 8 square miles (21 km2). It encloses a lagoon with an area of 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2). It is historically notable for its close proximity to US hydrogen bomb tests in 1954, and was particularly devastated by fallout from the Castle Bravo test. Twenty people remain from the more than 300 who lived there prior to the test.
The first sighting recorded by Europeans was by Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra on 1 January 1528. Together with Utirik, Ailinginae and Toke atolls, they were charted as Islas de los Reyes (Islands of the Three Wise Kings in Spanish) due to the proximity of Epiphany. Fourteen years later it was visited by the Spanish expedition of Ruy López de Villalobos.
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Wikipedia