Chuuk Atoll | ||
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Atoll | ||
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Coordinates: 7°25′N 151°47′E / 7.417°N 151.783°ECoordinates: 7°25′N 151°47′E / 7.417°N 151.783°E | ||
Country | Federated States of Micronesia | |
State | Chuuk State | |
Capital | Weno | |
Government | ||
• Governor | Johnson Elimo (since 2011) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 93.07 km2 (35.93 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 443 m (1,453 ft) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 36,158 | |
• Density | 390/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
Chuuk Lagoon, also known as Truk Lagoon, is a sheltered body of water in the central Pacific. About 1,800 kilometres (1,100 miles) north-east of New Guinea, it is located mid-ocean at 7 degrees North latitude, and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia. The atoll consists of a protective reef, 225 kilometres (140 mi) around, enclosing a natural harbour 79 by 50 kilometres (49 by 31 miles), with an area of 2,130 square kilometres (820 square miles). It has a land area of 93.07 square kilometres (35.93 square miles), with a population of 36,158 people and a maximal height of 443 m. Weno city on Weno island functions as the atoll's capital and also as the state capital and is the largest city in the FSM with its 12,000 people.
Chuuk means mountain in the Chuukese language. The lagoon was known mainly as Truk (a mispronunciation of Ruk), until 1990. Other names included Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus.
Chuuk Lagoon is part of the larger Caroline Islands group. The area consists of eleven major islands (corresponding to the eleven municipalities of Truk lagoon, which are Tol, Udot, Fala-Beguets, Romanum, and Eot of Faichuk group, and Moen, Fefan, Dublon, Uman, Param, and Tsis of Namoneas group) and forty-six smaller ones within the lagoon, plus forty-one on the fringing coral reef, and is known today as the Chuuk islands, part of the Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean.