Bikini Atoll

About

Bikini Atoll (BIK-in-ee or bih-KEE-nee, Marshallese: Pikinni [pʲiɡinnʲi], lit. 'Coconut place'), known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 19th century and 1946, is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a 229.4-square-mile (594.1 km2) central lagoon. The atoll is at the northern end of the Ralik Chain, approximately 530 miles (850 km) northwest of the capital Majuro. After the Second World War, the atoll was chosen by the United States as a nuclear weapon testing site. The 167 people who lived on Bikini were forcefully relocated by the U.S. military in preparation for testing. In 1946, the Bikini population moved to Rongerik, a small island east of Bikini Atoll, but it did not have adequate resources to support them. The islanders began experiencing starvation by early 1948, and were moved to Kwajalein Atoll. The U.S. used Bikini Atoll for the fourth detonation of a nuclear bomb, and carried out 22–23 additional nuclear tests there until 1958, when it was discovered that the fallout from testing was much more dangerous than previously thought. To this day, the Bikini islanders are prohibited from returning to Bikini Atoll due to nuclear contamination. However, there are some signs of recovery as the amount of radiation slowly decreases. In 1972, about 100 residents were voluntarily returned to their home island. Scientists later found dangero

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