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38-497: Penrhyn (also called Tongareva , Māngarongaro , Hararanga , and Te Pitaka ) is an atoll in the northern group of the Cook Islands in the south Pacific Ocean . The northernmost island in the group, it is located at 1,365 km (848 mi) north-north-east of the capital island of Rarotonga , 9 degrees south of the equator . Its nearest neighbours are Rakahanga and Manihiki , approximately 350 kilometres (220 mi) to

76-477: A fine white leaf. Called rito weaving, the traditional items woven are Sunday church fans, small baskets and hats, the hats originally being copies of the ones the sailors wore. Weaving is an economic activity in both villages; both traditional and artificial dyes may be used. Black pearl farming, together with mother of pearl , was previously the only significant economic activity on the island. Pearl farming began in 1997–1998. In 2000, algal blooms spread around

114-536: A lack of passengers or lack of fuel on Penrhyn for the return flight. A large passage in the lagoon allows inter-island ships to enter the lagoon, and the island has become popular as a stopover for yachts crossing the Pacific from Panama to New Zealand . The inter-island Taio Shipping company visits the island approximately every three months. The locally produced Rito hats are woven from fibre from young coconut leaves, which are stripped, boiled and dried, resulting in

152-458: A self-governing island nation in free association with New Zealand in 1965, and the US relinquished any last claims to the islands when it signed the 1980 Cook Islands–United States Maritime Boundary Treaty . In general terms, the northern group is the less well economically developed of the two chains, having far less connection with the rest of the world than the southern chain. A compounding factor

190-515: A single room. New Zealand Aid paid completely for a new school to be constructed, called Meitaki Poria. Penrhyn was formerly one of the most densely inhabited atolls in Polynesia, with an estimated pre-European population of 2,000. Depopulation by slavers reduced this to just 88 people, and its population on annexation by New Zealand was just 420. All of the habitable islets were previously occupied, with Moananui home to two rival settlements. Following

228-582: A state in the Union. Under the Act, the U.S. gained control of around 94 islands. By 1903, 66 of these islands were recognized as territories of the U.S. Whenever any citizen of the United States discovers a deposit of guano on any island, rock, or key, not within the lawful jurisdiction of any other Government, and not occupied by the citizens of any other Government, and takes peaceable possession thereof, and occupies

266-702: A storm in January 1853, resulting in some of the crew being stranded on the island for almost a year. One of them, the trader Edward Henry Lamont, documented his stay in Wild Life among the Pacific Islanders . The London Missionary Society , which had begun missionary activities in the Cook Islands from 1821, sent a group of three Polynesian missionaries to Penrhyn in 1854. Robert Louis Stevenson visited Penrhyn in May 1890. In

304-580: Is much lower lying than the southern chain. The two island chains are also parts of different marine ecoregions , with the Northern Cooks regarded as Central Polynesian and the Southern Cooks as Eastern Polynesian. Similarly, the land ecoregion in the Northern Cooks is Central Polynesian tropical moist forest whereas that of the southern chain is Cook Islands tropical moist forest . The islands were settled by Polynesians for several centuries before

342-469: Is supplemented with imported rice and flour shipped in from Rarotonga or Hawai'i. The boats are infrequent (usually every 3 months). Electricity has been supplied by a generator in each village (Omoka 65 KVA, Te Tautua 35 KVA); these have been installed by Australian Aid . Provision of diesel fuel required two long sea voyages: Auckland to Rarotonga, then onwards to the northern Cooks Islands (ships travelled 7,000 km each way). To save fuel, electricity

380-513: Is the limited economic resources of the islands; though fishing is important to the group, the coral soil is of poor fertility and fresh water is generally in poor supply. The population is in decline, having reduced from over 2000 in the early 1960s. The higher susceptibility of the chain to tropical cyclones (and the propensity for greater damage due to its low-lying nature) has also caused considerable hardship, with severe damage being recorded after Cyclone Percy in 2005. The vulnerability of

418-520: The Congress that enables citizens of the United States to take possession of unclaimed islands containing guano deposits in the name of the United States . The islands can be located anywhere, so long as they are not occupied by citizens of another country and not within the jurisdiction of another government. It also empowers the president to use the military to protect such interests and establishes

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456-505: The South Pacific air ferry route's initial path at some risk so that an alternate route was directed. In March, Leif J. Sverdrup was determined for a tour of suitable islands for local labour that could help build an airfield. U.S. Navy Seabees began work on a runway in July 1942, with aviation gasoline storage tanks added to the completed field. Two additional runways were added later. During

494-478: The Caribbean and Pacific. This was the beginning of the concept of insular area in U.S. territories. Up until this time, any territory acquired by the U.S. was considered to have become an integral part of the country unless changed by treaty and eventually to have the opportunity to become a state of the Union. With insular areas, land could be held by the federal government without the prospect of it ever becoming

532-432: The Cook Islands. New Zealand sovereignty was recognised during World War II U.S. military operations involving the islands. On 11 June 1980, in connection with establishing the maritime boundary between the Cook Islands and American Samoa , the United States signed Cook Islands–United States Maritime Boundary Treaty acknowledging that Penrhyn was under Cook Islands sovereignty. In early 1942, Japanese advances had placed

570-472: The United States under the Guano Islands Act, all but ten have been withdrawn. The Act specifically allows the islands to be considered possessions of the U.S. The Act does not specify the territory's status after private U.S. interests abandon it or the guano is exhausted, creating neither obligation nor prohibition of retaining possession. As of 2022 , the islands still claimed by the United States under

608-456: The arrival of the missionaries, the population concentrated around the churches in four villages. Two of these villages were subsequently abandoned due to depopulation by slavers. Today, Penrhyn Atoll has two villages. The main village of Omoka , the seat of Penrhyn Island Council, is on Moananui Islet , on the western rim of the atoll, north of the airport. The village of Te Tautua is on Pokerekere Islet (also known as Pokerere or Tautua), on

646-417: The chain to global warming (for the same reason) has also not encouraged economic development of the islands. 10°0′S 160°0′W  /  10.000°S 160.000°W  / -10.000; -160.000 Guano Islands Act The Guano Islands Act (11  Stat.   119 , enacted August 18, 1856, codified at 48 U.S.C. ch. 8 §§ 1411-1419) is a United States federal law passed by

684-478: The construction. The ship was later salvaged by the Navy and commissioned for naval use. In February 2010, much of Omoka was damaged by Cyclone Pat , but there were no serious casualties. The village school was demolished, and the community was left without teaching facilities. Tongareva's Women's Craft Guild loaned their meeting house; however, this meant that five classes ranging from 3 to 16 years old had to be taught in

722-507: The criminal jurisdiction of the United States in these territories. In the 1840s, guano became a prized agricultural fertilizer and source of saltpeter for gunpowder. The U.S. began importing it in 1843 through New York. By the early 1850s, the U.K. imported over 200,000 tons a year, and U.S. imports totaled about 760,000 tons. The "guano mania" of the 1850s led to high prices in an oligopolistic market, government attempts to control prices , fear of resource exhaustion, and eventually

760-454: The early 1860s, Penrhyn was almost completely depopulated by Peruvian blackbirding expeditions. In 1862, the ship Adelante took hundreds of Tongarevans aboard, ostensibly to transport them to a nearby island as agricultural workers. The Tongarevans went willingly: coconut blight had led to famine, while the local missionaries saw work overseas as a way of bring money to the atoll to pay for larger churches. Once on board, they were shackled in

798-564: The eastern rim. The inhabitants of the island are Christians , with 92% of the population belonging to the Cook Islands Christian Church , while the remaining 8% adhere to the Roman Catholic Church . The World War II airstrip is still used today as Tongareva Airport , with its initial 3,000-meter runway reduced to 1,700 meters. Weekly flights to the atoll by Air Rarotonga are subject to frequent cancellations due to

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836-634: The enactment of the Guano Islands Act of 1856 in August 1856. The Act authorizes U.S. citizens to take possession of unclaimed islands containing guano for the U.S., empowers the President to protect such claims with military intervention, and establishes jurisdiction of criminal offenses under the laws of the United States within the territories, thus claimed. This encouraged American entrepreneurs to search for and exploit new deposits on tiny islands and reefs in

874-440: The end of May 2015. Some work is possibly still ongoing for all northern atolls to be on renewable energy. The Omoka solar farm and Te Tautua solar farm now provide 126 kW and 42 kW, respectively. 9°00′20″S 157°58′10″W  /  9.00556°S 157.96944°W  / -9.00556; -157.96944 Northern Cook Islands The chain forms a roughly inverted triangular shape, stretching from Penrhyn in

912-413: The first European visitors, Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña , navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós , and their crew reached and named the island of San Bernardo in 1595, now widely believed to have been Pukapuka. De Queirós returned to the region in 1606 in charge of his own vessel, making landfall at Rakahanga. The population of the chain was decimated by blackbirding during the 19th century, with

950-545: The high seas". The provision was considered and ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in Jones v. United States , 137 U.S. 202 (1890). The Act continues to be part of the law of the United States. The most recent Guano Islands Act claim was made in 1997 to Navassa Island . However, the claim was denied because an American court ruled the island was already under American jurisdiction (a claim Haiti disputes). While more than 100 islands have been claimed for

988-511: The hold and guarded day and night. 253 survived the voyage to reach Callao , Peru, where they were sold for between $ 100 and $ 200 each. Further slaving expeditions followed, and in total, 472 Tongarevans were sold in Peru. Penrhyn was officially annexed for Great Britain by Captain Sir William Wiseman of HMS Caroline on 22 March 1888. The island was considered to have a strategic location on

1026-571: The island of Tongareva (now more widely known as Penrhyn ) being almost completely depopulated. At the end of the century, the chain became part of the Cook Islands Protectorate before the entire protectorate was annexed to New Zealand in 1900. From the 1850s until 1980, the United States laid claim to much of the northern chain under the Guano Islands Act . Despite this, the United States military acknowledged New Zealand sovereignty during World War II operations. The Cook Islands became

1064-675: The island on 8 August while returning from delivering the first convicts to Australia . It was later visited by the Russian explorer Otto von Kotzebue in April 1816, and then by the American brig USS Porpoise , under command of Lieutenant Commander Cadwalader Ringgold , as part of the United States Exploring Expedition in February 1841. The brig Chatham ran aground at Penrhyn during

1102-454: The islands only account for some 6% of the Cooks' population and 9% of the land area. Almost all of this population is on the three islands of Pukapuka, Manihiki, and Penrhyn. The two chains are also geographically different: although both chains are formed from coral atolls which grew around volcanoes, the northern islands are far older, and the volcanic cones have sunk. As such, the northern chain

1140-500: The lagoon, and a virus killed the pearl oysters. The stocks never recovered, and the final harvest was in 2003, resulting in significant losses of equipment, outlay and resources. The present population of the island relies on the ocean for most of their food as well as locally grown plants such as coconut, pawpaw, breadfruit and puraka (yam). Every morning (except on Sundays), men from the island head out in small tin boats to spear or trawl for fish for their families. The islanders' diet

1178-571: The northeast to Pukapuka in the northwest and to Suwarrow in the south. The Northern Cook Islands are separated from the Southern Cook Islands by a wide stretch of the Pacific Ocean , with the nearest part of the Southern chain being Palmerston Island , 500 kilometres (310 mi) due south of Suwarrow. With an area of just 21 sq. km. and a population of 1,041 (according to the 2016 census),

Penrhyn atoll - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-464: The ocean floor. The atoll is low-lying, with a maximum elevation of less than 5 metres (16 ft). The total land area is 9.84 square kilometres (3.80 sq mi). The atoll rim consists of 18 major islets. Clockwise, from the northwest, these are: Polynesians are believed to have lived on Penrhyn since 900 or 1000 AD. According to oral tradition , the island was fished up by Vatea , using part of his thigh as bait, and has been inhabited since

1254-444: The route of a proposed Trans-Pacific telegraphic connection between Canada and Australia. The Cook Islands were a British protectorate 1888 to 1900, when annexed to New Zealand , until independence in 1965 when residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. From 1856 to 1980, the United States claimed sovereignty over the island under the Guano Islands Act . That claim had never been recognised by Britain and

1292-430: The same, such island, rock, or key may, at the discretion of the president, be considered as appertaining to the United States. Section 6 provides that criminal acts on or adjacent to these territories "shall be deemed committed on the high seas, on board a merchant ship or vessel belonging to the United States; and shall be punished according to the laws of the United States relating to such ships or vessels and offenses on

1330-426: The southwest. Once one of the most heavily populated atolls, it was almost completely depopulated by Peruvian slavers in 1864. Penrhyn is a roughly circular coral atoll with a circumference of approximately 77 km (48 mi), enclosing a lagoon with an area of 233 square kilometres (90 sq mi). The atoll is atop the highest submarine volcano in the Cook Islands, rising 4,876 metres (15,997 ft) from

1368-629: The time of creation. Other legends tell of the island being visited by various ancestors of Tangiia-nui of Rarotonga on their way from Samoa to Tahiti . Other ancestors came from Aitutaki and Rakahanga . The Polynesians named the atoll Tongareva ("Tonga floating in space", "Tonga-in-the-skies" and "Away from the South"). Europeans first encountered the island in 1788, when the Lady Penrhyn , commanded by Captain William Crofton Sever, passed by

1406-610: The war, U.S. Navy PBY Catalina and USAAF B-24 Liberator bombers were stationed on the island, along with about a thousand support personnel. A communications link through the island was established by the U.S. Army Signal Corps . American forces were withdrawn in September 1946. The U.S. Army vessel Southern Seas struck an uncharted reef on 22 July 1942 and was severely damaged with flooded engine rooms and abandoned in Taruia Pass while on an island charting assignment in support of

1444-477: Was always turned off overnight (11 pm to 6 am). The New Zealand Government ( Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade ) decided to assist the Cook Islands Government by funding solar power arrays in all the northern atolls. The Aid programme Uira Natura ko Tokerau was for NZ$ 20 million. The build was by PowerSmart Solar of New Zealand. Construction began on 23 February 2015, each village was solar powered by

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