Marakei
- ISS002-E-6659
- 20 May 2001
- 23:32 UTC
Marakei, located 26 km northeast from Abaiang, is a small atoll formation of the North Gilbert Islands with a land area of 13.5 km². The small central lagoon contains several moderately deep basins and is almost completely surrounded by the two narrowly separated islands of the broad atoll rim. The lagoon is open to the sea only at two narrow passages: Baretoa Pass on the west (bottom in the image) and Reweta Pass on the east (top in the image). Both passes are cut-off from the ocean waters at low tide.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
