ORIGINAL HOME OF THE BIKINIANS:
Bikini Atoll
Total Land Area: 3.4 Square Miles Bikini Island 586 acres Eneu Island 308 acres Total Lagoon Area: 240 Square Miles 23 Total Islands
Three Islands were vaporized during the nuclear tests: [Bokonijien, Aerokojlol, Nam]
Bikini Island was always considered the home island for the Bikinians
Above map of Bikini Atoll courtesy of Jeffrey Sasha Davis
CURRENT HOME OF THE BIKINIANS:
Kili Island
(425 miles south of Bikini Atoll)
Total Land Area: 0.36 Square Miles One island (No lagoon) 200 acres
"As soon as the war ended, we located the one spot on earth that hadn't been touched by the war and blew it to hell."
--Comedian Bob Hope commenting on Operation Crossroads
Weather
Air Temperature: 80-85 degrees all year. The months of June through December are a bit wetter though with less wind. The months of January through May are drier but with more wind.Water Temperature: 80-85 degrees all year. There is more wave action in the months of January through May due to the trade winds.
Flora and Fauna
Food crops grown on Bikini and throughout the Marshalls include coconuts, pandanus, papaya, banana, arrowroot, taro, limes, breadfruit, and pumpkin. A wide variety of trees and other plants are also present on the islands. All fruits and vegetables used for the Bikini Atoll dive and sport fishing operation are imported.Animal life on Bikini and throughout the Marshalls includes small lizards, hermit crabs, coconut crabs, and a wide variety of birds. Pigs, ducks and chickens are raised for food, and dogs and cats are kept as pets.
BIKINIAN DEMOGRAPHICS
At this time the people of Bikini remain scattered throughout the Marshall Islands and the world as they wait for the cleanup of Bikini to begin in earnest, mostly due to the fact that the money they have received from the U.S. government is not adequate to fund a full radiological cleanup of the entire atoll.
As of March of 2016 the current population of Bikinians (numbers are estimated): Kili 800 Majuro 2550 Ejit 300 Other Marshall Islands Atolls 350 U.S. & Other Countries 1400 Total: 5,400 Total Bikinians in 1946 at time of move:
196 Total Bikinians that were actually living on Bikini: 167 Total people living on Bikini Atoll (caretakers) 4 to 6 As of June of 2016:
Bikinians alive of the 167 that were moved from Bikini in 1946: 25
Deceased:
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OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS
The historical information within this site, while constantly updated, is drawn largely from the book, FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND: A History of the People of Bikini and their Islands, Second Edition, published in September of 2001 by Jack Niedenthal. This book tells the story of the people of Bikini from their point of view via interviews, and the author's more than two decades of firsthand experiences with elder Bikinians.
Copies can be purchased from this direct ordering link at Amazon.com, or you can also buy and download the Kindle edition.
