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Teraina or Teeraina, also known as Washington Island (both names are constitutional〔POK (2007)〕) is a coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean and part of the Northern Line Islands which belong to Kiribati. Obsolete names of Teeraina are Prospect Island and New York Island. The island is located approximately 4.71° North latitude and 160.76° West longitude. Teeraina differs from most other atolls in the world in that it has a large freshwater lake (Washington Lake), concealed within its luxuriant coconut palm forest; this is the only permanent freshwater lake in the whole of Kiribati.〔Teeb'aki ''in'' Scott (1993)〕 Measuring about NW-SE and SW-NE, it has a land area of about ;〔 its circumference is about . The island is generally low-lying, with a maximum elevation ASL of about , while most of the island rises some 3 meters (9–10 ft) high; trees in the dense inland forest grow to several times this height however.〔 At the western end of the island is the capital, Tangkore (or Tengkore). There are (as at the 2010 Census) about 1,690 inhabitants,〔 making it the least-populated of the permanently inhabited Northern Line Islands. However, population density (177 per km2)〔 is three times as high as on Tabuaeran〔 and vastly more than on the much larger (300-plus km2) Kiritimati with its about 15 people/km2. There are two dirt roads around the island's perimeter - an outer (Beach Road) and an inner one (Ring Road). Transport inland is done by boat on artificial canals, rather uniquely for a Pacific island. A navigation light tower and two radio masts stand near Tangkore.〔Resture (2004)〕 What cannot be produced locally is shipped in about twice a year;〔 there is also some minor inter-island traffic by ship or boat. The old landing was at the western tip, but this was dangerous due to being exposed to surf breaking on the reef flats; it has been more recently replaced by a new and more easily accessible landing south of Tangkore, where the canal system feeds into the ocean.〔 A rough airstrip of some length exists near Kaaitara. It may become temporarily unusable after heavy rains. ==History== In 1798, Teeraina was not settled, nor, it seems were definite remains of prehistoric human settlements (as opposed to simple human presence) ever found. There is some circumstantial but nonetheless strong indication (see also below) that there was at least a minor and temporary presence of Polynesian seafarers, which arrived probably from Eastern Polynesia and maybe from the Society Islands, before Western contact.〔 Gilbertese. it may have also had a temporary presence, but this is unlikely as the island was not on one of their major trading routes, and due to the prevailing westerly winds and currents, getting back to the Gilbertese heartland would have been almost impossible. Teeraina was sighted, on June 12, 1798 by the American explorer Edmund Fanning on the ''Betsy''; he named the island for George Washington but did not attempt to land. The island was subsequently claimed under the Guano Islands Act of 1856 for the United States under the name "Prospect Island".〔Bryan (1942)〕 Guano was never mined or exported to any notable extent, however; the humid climate prevents the formation of substantial deposits. It was occupied by Captain John English and people from Manihiki in about 1860. It was annexed by the British by Commander Nichols of the HMS ''Cormorant'' on May 29, 1889. It became a part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony in 1916. The name of the island was changed to Teeraina in 1979 when Kiribati gained independence.〔 The major export of Teeraina is copra, the dried meat of the coconut. The Burns Philip Copra Company operated plantations on the island after the Second World War (WWII).〔 At various times, contract laborers were brought from Manihiki, Tahiti, and the Gilbert Islands to work the coconut plantations.〔 More recently, settlement from Gilbert group has been encouraged during the re-settlement schemes of 1989-1995.〔 Washington Island Post Office opened on 1 February 1921, closed around 1923, reopened in 1924, closed in 1948 and reopened again around August 1979. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Teraina」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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