Ontong Java Atoll

Ontong Java Atoll is a large coral atoll in the southwestern Pacific, belonging to the Solomon Islands and lying north of their main island chain.

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Atoll: A ring-shaped coral reef, island, or chain of islets enclosing a lagoon. Ontong Java is one of the world's largest examples of this reef form.
Luangiua: The principal island and settlement area of Ontong Java Atoll in the Solomon Islands. It is the atoll's main population center.
Ontong Java Plateau: A vast submarine volcanic plateau in the southwestern Pacific, among Earth's largest oceanic plateaus. The atoll lies near this major feature of the Pacific seafloor.
Ontong Java people: A Polynesian people whose communities are centered on Ontong Java Atoll in the Solomon Islands. Their history and identity are closely tied to life on the atoll.
Coral reef: A marine structure built chiefly from the calcium-carbonate skeletons of corals and other organisms. Its reef framework forms the atoll's rim around a broad lagoon.
Pelau: A village and settlement area on Ontong Java Atoll in the Solomon Islands. It is the other major community commonly associated with the atoll.
Ontong Java Nui: A proposed ancient volcanic superplateau formed by the Ontong Java, Manihiki, and Hikurangi plateaus. This hypothesis connects the atoll's regional setting to immense Cretaceous volcanism.
Ontong Java language: A Polynesian language spoken on Ontong Java Atoll in the Solomon Islands. It expresses the distinctive cultural heritage of the atoll's communities.
Lagoon: A shallow body of water separated from the open sea by a barrier such as a reef. The atoll's interior lagoon is enclosed by its coral reef.
Solomon Islands: An island country in the southwestern Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea. Ontong Java Atoll is part of this country, far north of its main island chain.