Republic of the Marshall Islands (Island Week)
Saturday, 2nd September 2006 by James Turnbull
Consisting of 29 atolls and 5 separate islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands could have been Island Week all on its own. It probably could have been island month - all but 9 of the atolls are inhabited, and the Kwajalein Atoll alone comprises 97 islets.
Although they gained independence from the US in 1986 a large part of the Marshall Islands are and were used for missile testing. Most famously, Bikini Atoll, from which the swimming garment took its name because it would cause a burst of excitement like an atomic bomb (but without the forced evacuations and nuclear contamination).
These two giant craters are in the Eniwetok Atoll, the Western crater was filled with nuclear waste and then paved over with concrete.
The Kwajalein Atoll is the location of the US's Reagan Test Site, so many of the islands have helicopter pads and various other military goings on. Here's a concrete barge intentionally sunk as a breakwater on Ennylabegan.
There's loads more to see on the Marshall Islands, but I've been browsing around them for two days now and Island Week is almost over. I'd suggest scanning around for the hundreds of beautiful beaches and tiny cities, there's even a sunken German warship in there somewhere...
Wikipedia: Republic_of_the_Marshall_Islands, Reagan Test Site, Bikini Atoll, Eniwetok Atoll, Kwajalein Atoll
Thanks: Many people, especially the Gearth Community
I haven’t had much time to look through the wrecks listed here, but there are coordinates for some of the locations, and the ones without coordinates should make a nice scavenger hunt. Have fun! http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/marshall.html
Hmm what a natutal looking forest https://www.googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=11.630884,165.545506&z=18
Here’s the German cruiser Prinz Eugen at its final resting place. View Placemark Apparently, the ship had quite a rough postwar life, having survived two atomic bomb tests. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prinz_Eugen
Fun fact… Mili Island / Atoll in the Marshall Islands was the landing spot of the whale ship Globe, after its famous and morbid mutiny in 1824 by Samuel Comstock. Comstock was shot and killed on the island by his fellow mutineers. There. You learned something new today.
The Marshall Islands is my favourite place to be on Google Earth 🙂 The island formation is so unusual!
I need info. on sightseeing in the marshall Islands, Kwaj. since I’m going there soon and I don’t know what to do!!!
Any radiation? Good rocks for the aqurium!