Starbuck Island

Starbuck Island (or Volunteer Island) is a coral atoll in the central Pacific. It is part of the Central Line Islands of Kiribati. No one lives on the island.

Starbuck

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Location of Starbuck Island in the Pacific Ocean

Ruins of the 19th Century guano settlement on Starbuck Island

Geography, flora and fauna

Starbuck Island is located at 5°38′30″S 155°52′40″W. It is 8.9 kilometres (5.5 mi) east-to-west and 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) north-to-south. The island has a land area of 1,620 hectares (4,000 acres). It is a low, dry, coral limestone island. It has a steep beach.

There is no freshwater on the island. Each year, the island gets about 800 millimetres (31 in) of rain.

Starbuck Island has a large colony of Sooty Terns. It is estimated that 1.5 million pairs of the birds live on the island. The island is also a home to Polynesian Rats, feral cats, Green turtles and about fifteen other species of seabirds.