Malden Island facts for kids
Malden Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the country of Kiribati. Malden Island is one of the Line Islands. In the 1800s, it was sometimes called Independence Island. Today, no one lives on the island. It is a special nature reserve where many seabirds come to breed (have their babies).
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Where is Malden Island?
Malden Island is located in the Pacific Ocean. It is about 242 nautical miles south of the equator. This is also about 150 nautical miles south of Honolulu, Hawaii. The coast of South America is very far away, more than 4,000 nautical miles to the east.
The closest land to Malden Island is Starbuck Island. Starbuck Island is also uninhabited. It is about 110 nautical miles to the southwest. The nearest place where people live is Tongareva (Penrhyn Island). This island is 243 nautical miles to the southwest.
The closest airport is on Kiritimati (Christmas Island). It is 365 nautical miles to the northwest. Other uninhabited islands are also nearby. These include Jarvis Island, Vostok Island, and Caroline (Millennium) Island.
What Does Malden Island Look Like?
Malden Island is shaped like a triangle. Each side is about 8 km (5 mi) long. The island is very low and flat. Its highest point is only about 10 m (33 ft) above sea level.
There is a large lagoon in the middle of the island. This lagoon is completely surrounded by land. It is connected to the sea by underground channels. Because of this, the water in the lagoon is quite salty. Most of the land on the island is to the south and west of this lagoon. The total area of the island is about 39.2 square kilometres.
The highest parts of the island are found along the coast. The middle of the island is lower. In some places, it is even below sea level, like where the lagoon is. Because the island is so flat, you cannot see the ocean from many places in the middle of Malden Island.
There is no fresh water on Malden Island that you can see. However, there might be fresh water underground.
Along the coast, there is always a strong surf. This creates a narrow sandy beach. On the west coast, the sandy beach is wider. On other parts of the coast, there is a strip of dark gray coral rubble. This forms a ridge and makes the beach smaller.
History of Malden Island
A British captain named George Anson Byron discovered Malden Island. He found it on July 30, 1824. He named the island after Charles Robert Malden. Charles Malden was the first person from their ship to step onto the island.
When the British discovered the island, no one was living there. However, they found old ruins. Later, archeologists studied these ruins. They found that between 100 and 200 Polynesian people had lived on the island centuries before.
The ancient stone structures are mostly found near the beaches. Many are on the north and south sides of the island. There are 21 known sites in total. Three of these sites are larger than the others. These larger sites are on the northwest side of the island.
These old structures were likely temples, houses, or graves. The temple ruins are called marae. Similar marae have been found on other islands, like Raivavae. The ancient inhabitants also built wells. But later visitors found these wells were either dry or too salty.
In 1828, a valuable substance called guano was found on the island. Guano is made from seabird droppings. It is used as a fertilizer. In 1856, the United States wanted to claim the island. However, companies from Australia had already started mining the guano. Guano mining stopped around 1927.
Later, in 1956 and 1957, Great Britain used Malden Island for testing H-bombs. These tests were part of something called Operation Grapple.
Images for kids
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Boat Landing on Malden Island with ruins of old settlement
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A pair of masked boobies (Sula dactylatra) calling on Malden Island
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Grey-backed terns flying over Malden Island with lagoon in background
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Samuel Bunker (ca. 1845)
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A mushroom cloud rising over Malden Island after the first British hydrogen bomb test in May 1957
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Memorial tablet in Paisley remembering the people concerned in the tests
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See also
In Spanish: Isla Malden para niños
