Hatohobei
Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAT : Hatohobei
Tobi, or Hatohobei (Tobian language), is the southernmost of Palau's sixteen states, consisting of Tobi Island and uninhabited Helen Reef. The total land area is about 3 km2. Population was 23 in 2000, and 51 in 1995, and 80 in 1962, showing a steady decline.
The individual islands of Hatohobei, together with the islands of the state of Sonsorol, form the Southwest Islands of Palau.
Tobi Island
Tobi (Hatohobei or Kodgubi) Island is the only inhabited island of the state and is located at . Its highest point is 6 m, while most of the island is less than 3 m high. Most of the houses are situated in the village of Tobi (Hatohobei) on the southwestern side of the island, the state capital. The island is covered with coconut palms. A cultivated area is situated near the center of the island. The island is fringed by a reef that extends up to 800 m from the shore in the north.
Helen Reef
Helen or Helens Reef (Hotsarihie), about 70 km east of Tobi Island at , is a partially submerged atoll, with Helen Island at its northern tip. The atoll is 25 km long and nearly 10 km wide, with a lagoon area of 103 km2 and a total area including reef flat of 163 km2. A channel leads into the lagoon from near the middle of the western side of the reef. Immediately south of the channel is Round Rock, which dries. The lagoon has about 85 patch and pinnacle Reefs. Helen Island is tiny by comparison, about 20 to 40 m wide and 400 m long, or about 0.03 km2 of land area. The island, which is a sand dune, but densely wooded, is moving southeast, falling into the lagoon, at a rate 3 to 4 m per year. It is uninhabited except for a marine ranger station of Hatohobei State, which was established in the early 1990s to guard the reef against foreign poachers.
When the tide is falling, the water flows out of the lagoon and over the reef in all directions until the reef is uncovered, and then flows out through the channel on the western side. On the rising tide, a reverse effect is noted. Only few parts of the reef completely dry.
Transit Reef
50 km east of Helen Reef is Transit Reef (Pieraurou), which appears on some maps and which is referenced as an island in the Hatohobei State constitution. Its location is given as , making it the southermost feature of Palau. Its existence, however, is doubtful, as it is not listed in the current Sailing Directions.See also
External links
- [Links to pictures and maps of Tobi and Palau].
- [Aerial view of the island of Tobi].
- [KiteLines FALL 1977 (Vol. 1 No. 3) Articles on Kite Fishing on Tobi].
- [Helen Reef]
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