This set of 36 micronesian islets located around an inland lagoon became famous after being chosen by the US Army as an experimental target for 23 atomic bombs , including the first hydrogen bomb, from 1946 to 1958. Ten years later After the last nuclear test, the native inhabitants returned to their home, but the levels of radioactivity detected in shellfish, fruit or drinking water again advised evacuation. At the end of the 90s, a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency established that the habitual consumption of indigenous crops still did not offer guarantees, due to the accumulation of cesium in the soil of the atoll.
In 2010, UNESCO added this Pacific enclave to the World Heritage List, but its inhabitants will not be able to recover it for at least 30 years.
