Jarvis Island

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left: ISS017-E-15882 Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov Jarvis Island Jarvis Island is a small, only 4,5 km² large island. Because of the very low falls of rain ths vegetation is quite species-poor, there are particularly large stands of Te Boi (Sesuvium portulacastrum), which is getting along because of its succulency. Trees cannot be found. Because of the large number of seabirds the island once had giant guano deposits, which very exploitated almost completey during the 19-th century. Thereby the island got its basin-like profile. Since 1935/36 the island was inhabitated by members of the american military, which worked here particularly on meteorological mensurations. In the year 1942, during the Second World War, the last four inhabitans of the island were evacuated, because the island was exposed to japanese air raids and submarine attacks. They did not only left behind burned houses and a lot of garbage, but also mices and cats. Those cats did particularly hunt for the numerous seabirds, but were eradicated already by the year 1983. Today the island is a conservation area and cannot be entered.

Flora of Jarvis Island (almost complete) (grün = Bilder) Boerhavia albiflora, Boerhavia tetrandra, Eragrostis paupera, Fimbristylis cymosa, Lepturus repens, Portulaca lutea, Sesuvium portulacastrum, Sida fallax, Tribulus cistoides

References: - Dieter Mueller-Dombois; Francis Raymond Fosberg: Vegetation of the Tropical Pacific Islands. Springer, 1997