Taongi
- ISS006-E-39647
- 17 March 2003
- 20:11 UTC
Taongi (sometimes known as Bokak) is the northernmost of the Marshall Islands (with the exception of the distant outlier of the US-owned Wake Atoll). It is considered as a member of the Ratak chain of atolls, although lies a considerable distance north of this group — Bikar lies around 280 km to the southeast.
The atoll has a half-moon shape, with its west, north and northeast sides consisting solely of a submerged reef crest. Only in the southeast is there found any permanent land — where a series of 3 large elongated islands and 8 smaller islets are located. They a combined area of 3.2 km². The central lagoon of Taongi covers an area of 78 km².
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
