Olimarao


Olimarao Atoll is an uninhabited atoll with a land area of 0.2 km2 in the State of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is located 36 kilometers northwest of Elato and 860 kilometers southeast of Yap island. Olimarao belongs administratively to Elato.

Name

The name of the island goes back to Proto-Chuukic *weni-maraawu.

Geography

The atoll's surface is 11 km2 and it is roughly 5 km long and 3 km wide. The lagoon has a surface of about 6 km2 and two passages into it located in the southern fringes of the reef.

Islands

There are only two small islets on the reef, with a total surface of 0.2 km2 :
  • Olimarao Island, located at the NE end of the reef is the largest
  • Falipi Island in the SW corner is only 2.4 ha in surface
Both islands have coconut palms, among other vegetation, like Scaevola taccada bushes.

Ecology

The whole atoll is part of the Olimarao Conservation Area. This zone is meant to protect the breeding places of sea turtles, coconut crabs and pelagic birds.