Starbuck Island facts for kids
Starbuck Island, also known as Volunteer Island, is a small piece of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is a special type of island called a coral atoll. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef that surrounds a lagoon. Starbuck Island is part of the Central Line Islands, which belong to the country of Kiribati. No people live on this island.
Contents
Geography of Starbuck Island
Starbuck Island is located at 5°38′30″S 155°52′40″W / 5.64167°S 155.87778°W. It stretches about 8.9 kilometers (5.5 miles) from east to west. From north to south, it is about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) wide. The island covers a land area of about 1,620 hectares (4,000 acres).
Island Features
Starbuck Island is a low, dry island made of coral limestone. It has beaches that drop steeply into the ocean. There is no freshwater on the island. This means there are no rivers or lakes. Each year, the island gets about 800 millimeters (31 inches) of rain.
Wildlife on Starbuck Island
Starbuck Island is a very important home for many animals. It has a huge colony of Sooty Terns. Experts believe that about 1.5 million pairs of these birds live and nest on the island.
Animals Living on the Island
Besides the Sooty Terns, the island is also home to other animals. You can find Polynesian Rats and feral cats there. Green turtles also visit the island. About fifteen other species of seabirds make Starbuck Island their home.
Images for kids
-
Map of Starbuck Island
-
Starbuck Island as seen from space
-
A ruined wall from a 19th-century settlement on Starbuck Island.
-
A large group of Sooty Terns on Starbuck Island.
-
The mostly empty inside of Starbuck Island.
-
The plant Bidens kiribatiensis growing on Starbuck Island.
See also
In Spanish: Isla Starbuck para niños
