December 23, 2009 5:31 am
Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Places 11 .
Truk Lagoon, also known as Chuuk, is a sheltered body of water in the central Pacific. North of New Guinea, it is located mid-ocean at 7 degrees North latitude. The atoll consists of a protective reef, 140 miles around, enclosing a natural harbour 49 miles by 30, with an area of 823 square miles. It has a land area of 49.2 square miles, with a population of 47,871 people.
The area consists of 11 major islands (corresponding to the 11 municipalities of Truk lagoon, which are Tol, Udot, Fala-Beguets, Romanum, and Eot of Faichuk group, and Moen, Fefan, Dublon, Uman, Param, and Tsis of Nomoneas group) and 46 smaller ones within the lagoon, plus 41 on the fringing coral reef, and is known today as the Chuuk islands, part of the Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean.
In 1969, the famous French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and his team explored Truk Lagoon. Following Cousteau’s 1971 television documentary about the lagoon and its ghostly remains, the place became a scuba diving paradise, drawing wreck diving enthusiasts from around the world to see its numerous, virtually intact sunken ships.Read more about it on MFS,with videoclip.
http://www.themanyfacesofspaces.com/MFS-StrangeButTrue-Places11.html
