Ebon Atoll

Ebon is the southernmost atoll of the Marshall Islands and the place American missionaries first established themselves in the country, in 1857, from which Christianity spread through the group. It was also a whaling and trading stop. The lagoon has a single narrow pass and the atoll is small and green. Fewer than five hundred people live there. Ebon is also the wettest of the Marshallese atolls, which keeps it greener than the northern chain. The church that grew from the mission is still the centre of village life on the atoll.

History

In 19th-century documents the atoll was also called Boston, Covell's Group, Fourteen Islands and Linnez. Whaling ships called from the Newark in 1837 to the Andrew Hicks in 1905, and in 1857 missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions set up their first mission in the Marshall Islands here (Wikipedia, Ebon Atoll).

What you'll find

• The mission site - where the first mission in the Marshalls was established.
• The narrow pass - the single entrance to the lagoon.
• The southern position - the last atoll at the end of the chain.
• The whaling history - the trade that called here in the nineteenth century.

When to go

December to April is the drier season. Flights and ships are irregular. The wet season brings heavier weather.

Practical notes

Transport is irregular and getting stuck is normal. There is no accommodation beyond community arrangements. Little survives of the mission period above ground.

Nearby

Namdrik is northwest, and Jaluit is northeast.

Key facts