Kwajalein Atoll
KWAJALEIN: To break (or harvest) the fruit
FACT FILE
Population RMI Census 2021: 9,789 (5,096 males, 4,693 females) Number of islets: 97 Land area: 6.33 square miles Lagoon area: 839.3 square miles Yacht permit fee: $25 (Need a sponsor on Kwajalein Kwajalein) Mayor: Hirata Kabua Members of Parliament: David Paul, Kili Kabua, Kitlang Kabua
Kwajalein is the world’s largest atoll, which presumably helped to make it attractive to American missile testers. During the mid-1980s, Kwajalein was at the center of field testing for major components of the ‘Star Wars’ (Strategic Defense Initiative) program. The three main residential islands are:
Kwajalein, the missile base known as the United States Army Kwajalein Atoll or USAKA. Watch a video tour of the base at the bottom of this page.
Mejatto:
This is where members of the Rongelap community were relocated to in 1985. The move was meant to be temporary.
Ebeye:
This is home to 9,614 people, according to the 2011 census. A number of Ebeye residents work on what is often simply called Kwaj.
Ebeye Hotel. Photo: Unknown
To stay on Kwaj, you need to have a sponsor person or family, otherwise you need to stay on Ebeye Island at the Ebeye Hotel. The hotel has 18 rooms, made up of two suites, two deluxe rooms, seven singles, and seven doubles. The restaurant is due to reopen in late December 2017.
Bucholz Army Airfield: According to the RMI Ports Authority, although Kwajalein International Airport is located on Kwajalein Atoll within the Republic of the Marshall Islands, it is under the jurisdiction of the US Military and is restricted to use by authorized persons. United Airlines touches down in Kwajalein between Guam and Honolulu (passengers are warned not to take photographs while on the ground).
Below is a video tour of the Kwajalein army base courtesy of Brian F (A BTFphotography Production Filmed with a Gopro Hero 6.)
