1.2 Geography and Political Status Bikini Atoll Hawaii, at 11°35'N, total mi.) is located 165 25'E. 4,000 km (2,500 It comprises a miles) ring of 23 southwest islands of with a land area of 8.8 km@ (3.4 square miles), including 1.6 km@ (0.6 sq. of intertidal area (Figure 2, Table 1). The lagoon of 630 km@ (240 sq. mi.) has an average depth of 45 m (145 feet); the maximum depth is 58 m. Of the 23 islands, only Bikini (2.41 km?) and, to a much lesser - degree, nearby Eneu (1.22 km”) have been inhabited. In fact, they are the only islands that are physically suited for permanent settlement; all the others are too small and too low to be safe from inundation during times of high wave and storm activity. The geological atoll structure of Bikini Atoll resting on a submerged volcanic mass. is that of a coral reef The islands are made of reef debris, primarily of sand and gravel size, and reef organisms. continuously islands being and the built passes and that eroded, but under connect lagoon and present ocean The reef is conditions are fairly the stable (Appendix A). The Islands. other atoll is coconut in appearance to others in The principal islands of Bikini and Eneu, as well smaller ones, supports similar a are thickly covered with vegetation. variety of plants, plantations over most shrubby thickets of other food plants can be grown, the two the Marshall as many of the The sandy soil along exposed coasts, and larger islands. A variety of but because of the long dry season, they are not likely to become staples (Appendix B). Bikini Atoll which has a total is part of the land area of about 170 km@ roughly 700,000 km2 of the central Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, (66 sq. mi.) scattered over Pacific Ocean (Figure 1). together with the Caroline and Northern Mariana the Trust Territory of the administered 9000012 since 1947 | : Pacific under a Islands, Trusteeship 13 which the Agreement The Marshall Islands, comprise United with States the has United