Enewetak << `eh` nuh WEE tahk >> is an isolated atoll in the northwest corner of the Marshall Islands, in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of 40 low, sandy islets (small islands) that surround a lagoon. It has a land area of 21/4 square miles (6 square kilometers). The lagoon covers 388 square miles (1,005 square kilometers).
In 1944, during World War II, U.S. naval forces captured Enewetak from Japanese troops. In 1947, the U.S. government decided to use Enewetak for testing nuclear weapons. The government moved the inhabitants to Ujelang, another atoll. From 1948 to 1958, the United States conducted nuclear tests on Enewetak, leaving the atoll contaminated by radiation. Later, the United States conducted a cleanup operation to reduce the radiation. The inhabitants were allowed to resettle the rehabilitated parts of Enewetak in 1980. A marine laboratory built there by the United States has conducted valuable studies of sea and land plants and animals of the atoll.
From 1947 to 1986, Enewetak and the rest of the Marshalls were part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which was administered by the United States. In 1986, the United States granted independence to the Marshalls.
