Nikumaroro, Coral atoll in Phoenix Islands, Kiribati.
Nikumaroro is a coral atoll in the Phoenix Islands. The atoll forms a curved, narrow shape enclosing a shallow lagoon ringed by continuous reef walls.
Britain established a colony here in the late 1930s under the Phoenix settlement project, relocating families from other islands. Inhabitants left the atoll in 1963 as supplies dwindled and newly independent Kiribati withdrew from remote outposts.
The name Nikumaroro derives from Gilbertese folklore about Nei Manganibuka, a goddess who taught navigation techniques to the local population.
Only authorized expeditions reach the atoll, usually by charter boat from Fiji, since no regular connection exists. An anchorage in the northwest offers narrow access to shore, though heavy surf often complicates landing.
Teams have searched the grounds multiple times for possible clues about the whereabouts of a famous aviator whose plane vanished over the Pacific in 1937. Metal fragments, a shoe sole, and bones were recovered and later examined, though no conclusive determination was confirmed.
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