Utwe

Utwe (or Utwa) is the second-largest municipality in the Micronesian state of Kosrae, the largest being Tafunsak.[1]

Map of the state of Kosrae

Geography

Utwe occupies the very South of the island, but has no coast on its East border. In 1994 the total population of Utwe was 1,056. Utwe's capital is Utwa Ma (Utwe Village).

Utwe-Walung Marine Park

Utwe is home to the Utwe-Walung Marine Park, a conservation area established by Madison Nena, a local ecologist who has won several awards, including the 1999 Seacology Prize, awarded annually to an indigenous islander for outstanding achievement in preserving the environment and culture of any of the world's more than 100,000 islands. In the late 1990s, Madison Nena successfully led a campaign to prevent property developers from building a tourist complex without adequate sewage facilities, and in its place he founded an eco-tourism initiative at Kosrae Village Resort. He has also worked with island elders to revitalize historic methods of Kosraen house construction.[2]

The park features excellent examples of healthy hard coral, as well as some of Micronesia's most pristine forests and extensive mangrove ecosystems.[3] The park's main office is close to the shipwreck site of the infamous pirate trader Bully Hayes, and it is rumoured that Hayes buried some treasure somewhere in the forest.[4]

Education

Kosrae State Department of Education operates Utwe Elementary School. High school students attend Kosrae High School in Tofol, Lelu municipality.[5]

Climate

Utwe has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with very heavy rainfall year-round.

Climate data for Utwe
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30.2
(86.4)
30.1
(86.2)
30.1
(86.2)
30.1
(86.2)
30.1
(86.2)
30.2
(86.4)
30.3
(86.5)
30.7
(87.3)
30.6
(87.1)
30.8
(87.4)
30.6
(87.1)
30.2
(86.4)
30.3
(86.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.5
(81.5)
27.4
(81.3)
27.4
(81.3)
27.3
(81.1)
27.3
(81.1)
27.3
(81.1)
27.2
(81.0)
27.5
(81.5)
27.3
(81.1)
27.6
(81.7)
27.4
(81.3)
27.4
(81.3)
27.4
(81.3)
Average low °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6)
24.7
(76.5)
24.7
(76.5)
24.5
(76.1)
24.5
(76.1)
24.4
(75.9)
24.1
(75.4)
24.3
(75.7)
24.1
(75.4)
24.4
(75.9)
24.3
(75.7)
24.6
(76.3)
24.5
(76.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 402
(15.8)
489
(19.3)
504
(19.8)
586
(23.1)
493
(19.4)
454
(17.9)
447
(17.6)
416
(16.4)
383
(15.1)
344
(13.5)
414
(16.3)
512
(20.2)
5,444
(214.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org[6]

See also

References

  1. When Walung is counted as a part of Tafunsak
  2. "1999 Seacology Prize news release". Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
  3. "Kosrae Nautilus Resort". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  4. Pacific Magazine December 2005
  5. "Schools." Kosrae State Department of Education. Retrieved on February 23, 2018.
  6. "Climate: Utwe". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 22 October 2020.

Maps


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