NUKUORO

'Nukuoro' is an atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is part of the state of Pohnpei. Nukuoro has a population of less than 300 people though several hundred Nukuorans live on Pohnpei. The inhabitants speak Nukuoro language, which is closely related to the Kapingamarangi language and is a Polynesian dialect related to Samoan and Tokelauan. Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi constitute parts of the "Polynesian outlier" cultures lying well outside the Polynesian Triangle. Local legend tells that the first people came to settle on Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi in the 1700s from Samoa in the South Pacific 2,200 miles distant.
The lagoon is 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) in diameter. Fishing, animal husbandry, and agriculture (taro and copra) are the main occupations. A recent project to farm black pearl oysters has been successful at generating additional income for the island's people. Nukuoro is remote. It has no airstrip, and a passenger boat calls irregularly only once every few months. The island has no tourism except for the occasional visit by passing sailing yachts. There is a 4 room schoolhouse but children over the age of 14 must travel to Pohnpei to attend high school.

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★ Image from NASA Earth Observatory