Enewetak

Enewetak, also known as Eniwetok and Eniwetak, atoll in the north-western Marshall Islands, at the north-western end of the Ralik Chain, in the northern Pacific Ocean. The atoll, circular in shape, comprises 40 islets surrounding a lagoon about 40 km (25 mi) wide. During World War II, the atoll was taken (1944) from the Japanese by United States forces and became a United States naval base. From 1947 to 1990 it was administered by the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. In 1947 the US government designated Enewetak as a testing ground for atomic weapons and its residents were evacuated. It was the site of atomic weapons tests from 1948 to 1958. Resettlement was approved in the late 1970s. Population (1988) 715.