Mili Atoll

Mili Atoll is one of the most visited atolls in the Marshall Islands, as it is home to Japanese fortifications, funnel marks, and the wreckage of American and Japanese warplanes from World War II. The atoll is also known as the place where American pilot Amalia Mary Earhart died.

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General Information

Located at the southern end of the Rataka chain, about 25 km southeast of Majuro and Arno, Mili Atoll is considered the second largest of the Marshall Islands, with 92 islets covering a total area of 14.9 square kilometers and an almost completely enclosed central lagoon covering 763 square kilometers.

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The atoll’s beaches are covered with beautiful shells that tourists love to collect, the soft white sand and warm water of the inner lagoon make Mili an ideal place for a relaxing vacation.

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The atoll’s main village, commonly called Mili Mili, contains more than six dozen different relics from that war on its grounds – as local law does not allow anything that is a “right of this land” to be taken out.”

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Here you can see and extensive system of Japanese bunkers, and dilapidated artillery positions (the U.S. Navy artillery 30 days “processed” this small piece of land before the landing of the Marines, so the island is literally riddled with old craters), and even two irreconcilable enemies – the American medium bomber B-25 “Mitchell” and the Japanese fighter A6M5 “Zero”, whose remains still lie very close to each other.

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In 1937, famed American pilot Emily Earhart disappeared in this part of the Pacific, and the mystery surrounding her disappearance is still one of the reasons that attracts hundreds of underwater archaeologists to Mili (the remains of the plane and crew are believed to have been found on Tinian Island as part of the Mariana Islands.

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But that doesn’t stop divers from exploring the surrounding waters over and over again). The atoll’s ocean shores abound with shells and are considered some of the best in the world for collecting these seafood, while the white sand lagoon shores are perfect for sunbathing and swimming.