Mountain · Marshall Islands
Unnamed spot on Likiep Atoll
The highest point of the Marshall Islands is an unnamed spot on Likiep Atoll, about 10 metres above the sea. It is a low bank of sand and coral rubble, not a mountain at all.
Where is the Unnamed spot on Likiep Atoll?
The Unnamed spot on Likiep Atoll is part of the Coral atoll.
You will find it in: the Marshall Islands.
The story behind it
The Marshall Islands are made of coral, not of rock pushed up by the earth, so the whole country is flat: a scatter of narrow islets arranged in rings around bright green lagoons. On Likiep Atoll the sea has piled sand and broken coral into a low bank, and that bank, no higher than a few tall trees, is the top of the nation. Coconut palms, pandanus and breadfruit trees grow on the sandy soil, while the lagoon shelters fish, clams and turtles that have fed families here for centuries. Because nothing rises far above the waves, storms can wash straight over an islet, and people watch the ocean closely when the wind turns. Rising sea levels worry islanders more than any peak ever could, and many children learn about tides before they learn about hills.
Questions children ask
How high is the highest point of the Marshall Islands?
The spot on Likiep Atoll lies about 10 metres above the sea. That is roughly the height of a three-storey house, and no other place in the country reaches further up.
Which country is Likiep Atoll in?
Likiep belongs to the Marshall Islands, a nation of atolls in the central Pacific Ocean. Its islets lie thousands of kilometres from the nearest continent, halfway between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea.
Can you climb the highest point of the Marshall Islands?
There is nothing to climb, only a gentle sandy rise that anyone can stroll across in sandals. The difficult part is getting to Likiep at all, because the atoll is reached by small plane or boat.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
Last checked: