Maug Islands

Maug (from the Chamorro name for the islands, Ma'ok, meaning "steadfast" or "everlasting") consists of a group of three small uninhabited islands. This island group is part of the Northern Islands Municipality of the Northern Mariana Islands chain in the Pacific Ocean.

Geography

The Maug Islands lie about 70 kilometers (43 mi) south of Farallon de Pajaros and 37 km (23 mi) north of Asuncion. The archipelago consists of three islands, the eroded exposed outer rim of a submerged volcano with a caldera with a diameter of approximately 2.2 km (1.4 mi). The floor of the caldera is around 225 meters (738 ft) below sea level, and in the middle is a mountain whose summit is only 22 m (72 ft) below sea level. The total area of the islands combined is 2.13 square kilometers (0.82 sq mi), and the highest point is 227 m (745 ft) above sea level.

The islands are overgrown with savannah grass. On East Island are Pandanus trees and Coconut Palms (Cocos nucifera), near the former settlement.