II. Description of the Islands

A. Physiography

The Southwest Islands are composed of six small islets and their reefs lying in between latitudes 3 degrees and 6 degrees North and longitudes 131 to 133 degrees East. From Northeast to Southwest, the islands are ordered as follows:

Fanna

Sonsorol(Dongosaro)

Pulo Anna (Purr)

Merir( Meilieli)

Tobi( Hatohobei)

Helen Reef (Hotsari Hie)

The islands of Fanna and Sonsorol could be considered an open atoll since they are about 3 kilometers apart. All islands are small islets atop table reefs except Helen, which is an atoll with the smallest islet of the six but with a gigantic reef system that has greater diversity of life in an area bigger than all the other islands' reefs combined.ⁱ

Of all the islands in Oceania, those of the Southwest are the farthest west. The nearest islands to the Southwest are all 240-270 km away, with Angaur island in Palau proper to the northwest, the island of Morotai in Indonesia to the west of Tobi, and Kepalauan Asia to the south of Helen and Tobi. ⁱ

In land area, the total for the Southwest islands combined is about 3. 75km2. The present human populations are low, from zero at Fanna, five to eight on Helen and Merir, and 15-30 people on Pulo Anna, Tobi, and Sonsorol.ⁱ

Tobi is the third largest islet of 74.9 hectares and with the third most abundant reef. It has six types of land habitats, and only four types of reef habitats including deeper reef flat pools and moats, the latter which occurs elsewhere only at Helen's reef.

Merir island is the second largest and is surrounded by the second most abundant reefs. It has six major land habitats, including mangroves at the center found nowhere else in the six islands. Of the sea, there are three major habitats, one of which are broad ocean terraces off its north face.ⁱ

Pulo Anna, being only 37.9 hectares in size, is the second smallest island. It has also the second smallest reef area of the six. There are seven major habitat areas on land, and only two types in the sea.

Fanna is the smallest island in the Southwest and has the least abundant reef, featuring only three sea habitats and supports the only stand of Pisonia forest in the islands.

Sonsorol, just a few kilometers from Fanna, is the largest island in the Southwest but has only the fourth most abundant reef. It has five major land types, with one of mixed forests and coconuts unique to the island. There are only three types of sea habitats.

B. Climate

The climate of the Southwest islands are characterized by being hot, wet, and humid. Average precipitation is approximately 3,000 mm (118 inches) in a year. Due to their proximity to the Southeast region, winds are generally mild and seem to be seasonal, shifting from the eastern winds during March through August to southwest "monsoon" winds during September through February. The lack of robust reef formations except along the eastern side of the northern Southwest islands, suggests that there are no consistent or strong wind and swell patterns.ⁱ

C. Geology

All six Southwest islands are primarily composed of coral reef carbonates, primarily coral skeletons, coralline algae and the shell remains of mollusks. The submersed sand on their surrounding reefs and beaches are composed of benthic foraminiferan tests and Halimeda. All islands are typically low coral islets with a maximum elevation of 5 m, and are characterized by having depressions in the center. Three of the islands- Tobi, Merir, Pulo Anna- the depressions and the water table meet to enable the growth of open swamps, mangrove stands, or taro cultivation areas. The perimeters of the islands are higher with dunes or mounds often situated adjacent the shoreline. Beaches are made up of mostly sands, cobbles, boulders, exposed beach rock, reef conglomerates, and breccias. Shoreline erosion is evident along some stretches of the islands, including western Helen and western Tobi.ⁱ

The islets rest atop of the peaks of ancient seamounts formed eons ago. They are part of a north-to-south trending submarine ridge, stretching south to the New Guinea-Australian, then north to Palau proper and onto the Parege Vela Ridge. Little data is available on geological origin and the age of the Palau ridge, although there is evidence of seismic activity over recent geological time.ⁱ

D. Population and Culture

The natives of the Southwest islands, though living close to Palau and the Indonesian region, have close cultural and linguistic affinity to the outer islands of Yap state, especially Eauripik, Sorol, Fais, Ngulu and other nearby atolls. They are little related to the Palauan Micronesian culture, although part of Palau politically. Research has shown the islands to have been inhabited for the past several hundred to over a thousand years as indicated by examination of artifacts, carbon dating and other methods. The islanders also show cultural affinity to the Malay region, reasonable given their physical closeness to that region.ⁱ

Amongst the islands, there are cultural and linguistic differences. Sonsorol, Merir, and Pulo Anna natives are closest in cultural practices, except the Tobians. Even linguistically, Tobians differ in dialect and wording, and Pulo Anna natives too, except that even with the dialectic difference, they could still speak comfortably with the natives from the first two islands.ⁱⁱ