Kwajalein Atoll
Kwajalein is the largest coral atoll in the Marshall Islands, consisting of 97 islands with a total area of 16.4 km², forming a narrow strip of land around a huge lagoon about 130 km long and up to 32 km across (water mirror area of about 2,850 square kilometers). The islands of Kwajalein are very small, not more than 120 meters wide. The name of the atoll comes from the local word combination ri-ruk-jan-leen, which means “people who pick fruits and flowers.”
General Information
Beach vacations are developed on Kwajalein Atoll. Camp Hamilton Beach has a school for beginner windsurfers, a picnic area, as does Coral Sands Beach. Emon Beach is suitable for a great family vacation, there is a volleyball area, areas where barbecue grills are already prepared.
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Edalt Recreation Center is an adult entertainment center with a pool, ping pong tables, a video game room, an internet cafe, a small restaurant, and a picnic-barbecue area on an outdoor terrace. An eight-lane bowling club holds regular competitions, and the Corlett Recreation Center has a soccer field and badminton in addition to volleyball and basketball courts. There is also a golf club with an eighteen-hole course, a club for those who like to swim underwater, and a yacht club. It is worth a visit to Richardson’s open-air movie theater, where free movies are shown on weekends.
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Kwajalein Lagoon is the target and landing point for US intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from Vanderberg Air Force Base in California, 6,700 kilometers away. The tests most often take place at night, lighting up the sky with fireworks and whole cascades of explosions, thus attracting a considerable number of tourists who prefer to watch such an exotic spectacle from a safe distance.
.In addition to this unusual spectacle, which can not be seen by everyone (the launches themselves are infrequent, and access to Kwajalein for obvious reasons is limited), another noteworthy object here is the Cultural Center of the Marshall Islands, engaged in the protection and promotion of culture and historical traditions of the islanders. Supported by the local Cultural Society and the Alele Museum in the capital, the center contains many interesting objects and exhibits that can be seen in regular exhibitions.
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