Phoenix Islands

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For other meanings of the word Phoenix, see Phoenix

The Phoenix Islands are a sparsely populated chain of atolls in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands. During the late 1930s they were the site of the last attempted colonial expansion of the British Empire (the Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme). The group is a possession of Kiribati and is officially uninhabited except for a few families on Kanton.

The eight atolls are:

• Birnie Island
• Enderbury Island
• Kanton Island (also Abariringa or Canton Island)
• Manra Island (also Sydney Island)
• McKean Island
• Nikumaroro (also Gardner Island)
• Orona Atoll (also Hull Island)
• Rawaki Island (also Phoenix Island)

There are also two reefs, Carondelet Reef and Winslow Reef.

The islands and surrounding areas are home to some 120 species of coral and more than 500 fish. Kiribati has announced plans to establish a huge marine park. [1]ca:Illes Fènix de:Phoenixinseln fr:Phœnix (îles) ja:フェニックス諸島 pl:Wyspy Feniks pt:Ilhas Phoenix fi:Phoenixsaaret