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. Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi are outliers of
Polynesian migration 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
