Kanton Island

Kanton is the largest of the Phoenix Islands and the only one with any residents, a narrow ring of land around a deep lagoon with a few dozen people on it, a runway left from the flying-boat and later military eras, and the wreckage of both. It sits inside the World Heritage protected area. Supply ships call rarely and the island goes months without contact.

Background

Kanton, also called Abariringa and once known as Mary Island or Swallow Island, is the northernmost of the Phoenix Islands. It lies roughly halfway between Hawaii and Fiji, a position that once made it useful as an airline stop. The atoll measures 14.5 kilometres from its northwest to its southeast point, and its land rim is 50 to 600 metres wide and 1.5 to 7 metres high. Its modern name comes from the New Bedford whaler Canton, wrecked on the outer shore in early March 1854. The only village, Tebaronga, stands at the northwest point, beneath the airstrip. In 2020 the island had 41 residents, down from 61 in 2000.

Source: Wikipedia, "Canton Island"

Highlights

• The lagoon - the deep enclosed water the atoll rings.
• The old runway - the strip left from the aviation and military years.
• The tiny population - a few dozen people on the whole island.
• The isolation - months between supply ship calls.

When to go

April to October is the calmer season. Ships call rarely and unpredictably in any month. Permits are required.

Good to know

Access requires a permit and a ship, and both are very difficult to arrange; almost nobody visits. There is no accommodation, shop or medical facility. Being stranded for months is a genuine possibility.

Nearby

The rest of the Phoenix group is around it, and Tarawa is far west.

Key facts