Bikar Atoll, Reef and atoll in the Ratak Chain, Marshall Islands
Bikar Atoll is a coral atoll in the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands, made up of six small islets surrounded by a continuous reef. The atoll has a roughly diamond-shaped outline and encloses a lagoon that can be entered through a narrow passage on its western side.
The atoll was annexed by the German Empire in 1885 and placed under the Jaluit Company, which managed much of the Marshall Islands at the time. After World War I, control passed to Japan, and then to the United States after World War II, following the path of the broader Marshall Islands territory.
Bikar is one of the few atolls in the Pacific that has remained largely untouched by human activity and today serves as a nesting ground for many species of seabirds. Visitors who reach the atoll can witness green turtles coming ashore on its beaches, something that happens undisturbed in very few places in the world.
The atoll can only be reached by boat and has no regular connections or visitor infrastructure. Careful preparation is needed, as conditions are remote, supplies are limited, and safe passage depends on favorable weather.
Although Bikar is a tropical coral atoll, it experiences unusually dry conditions compared to most other atolls in the Pacific. This dryness has helped it become one of the last nearly untouched semi-arid atolls in the world.
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