Bikarej

Arno Atoll

Island of Bikarej



In early July, just a week or so before leaving for the Marshall Islands, Boo found out that she was assigned to teach on the small island called Bikarej.  Bikarej is a small, remote island of some 300 people.  It has no streets, no sewers, no cellular phones, no electricity and no running water.  Boo was thrilled, as she heard about her host family.  And being on a remote island was what she wanted to experience

Bikarej is part of the Arno Atoll.  The Arno Atoll consists of 133 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only 5 square miles. Unlike most other atolls, Arno encloses three different lagoons, a large central one, and two smaller ones in the north and east. Its main lagoon encloses an area of 130.77 square miles. At a distance of only 12 mi, it is the closest atoll to the Marshall Islands capital, Majuro Atoll, and can be seen looking east from Majuro on a clear day. It is located approximately 29 mi east of Ujae Atoll.