Lisianski Island facts for kids
|
Native name:
Papa‘āpoho
|
|
|---|---|
View of Lisianski from the air.
|
|
 Lisianski Island
Location in Pacific Ocean
|
|
| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 26°03′51″N 173°57′57″W / 26.064031°N 173.965802°W |
| Archipelago | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands |
| Area | 384.425 acres (155.571 ha) |
| Length | 1.2 mi (1.9 km) |
| Width | 0.6 mi (1 km) |
| Coastline | 3.1 mi (5 km) |
| Administration | |
| State | Hawaii |
Lisianski Island, known as Papa‘āpoho in Hawaiian, is a small, flat island. It is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The island is about 384 acres (155 hectares) big. Its highest point is only 40 feet (12 meters) above the ocean.
Lisianski Island is located far from Honolulu. It is about 905 nautical miles (1,676 km) to the northwest. The island is surrounded by many reefs and shallow areas called shoals. One of these is the very large Neva Shoals. Getting to the island is tricky. People usually arrive by helicopter or by boat. They use a small sandy entrance on the southeast side.
Contents
Island Formation and Features
Lisianski Island is made of limestone. This limestone covers the top of an old, underwater shield volcano. This volcano was active about 20 million years ago. The island is slowly wearing away due to erosion.
There is a depression on the island. It sits between two tall sand dunes. Scientists think this area was once a lagoon. It might have been like the lagoon on Laysan, a nearby island. Because of this dip, the Hawaiian name for the island, Papa‘āpoho, means "island with a depression".
Island's History and Naming
The island is named after Yuri Lysianskyi. He was an explorer from Ukraine. He was an officer in the Imperial Russian Navy. In 1805, Lysianskyi was the captain of a merchant ship called the Neva. His ship was on a journey around the world. The Neva accidentally ran aground on the island. Lysianskyi said the island was not very interesting. He noted that its reefs and shoals were dangerous for ships.
In 1857, King Kamehameha IV officially claimed the island for the Hawaiian Kingdom. Later, in 1890, a company called North Pacific Phosphate and Fertilizer Company got a 20-year lease for the island from the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In 1909, Lisianski became part of a new protected area. This area was called the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt created it. This was done to protect birds on the island. Before this, many birds were being illegally hunted there.
Neva Shoals: A Coral Paradise
Neva Shoals is a large, shallow reef area. It covers about 979 square kilometers (378 square miles). This is more than half the size of Oahu. It is located just southeast of Lisianski Island. Yuri Lysianskyi named the shoals after his ship, the Neva.
The shoals are very shallow. This makes it hard for boats to reach Lisianski Island. Divers have called the reef a "coral garden". This is because of the many different types of coral found there. Scientists have found 24 different kinds of coral around Lisianski. There are also many reef fish, including fish that hunt other fish.
Images for kids
-
View of Lisianski from the air.
