Bikini Atoll is one of the 23 isles that makeup the Marshall Islands. It sounds like paradise but it’s actually uninhabitable because of its dark past.
If you didn’t know anything about Bikini Atoll, it would look like the perfect place to jet off to on holiday.
The tropical paradise, nestled in between Hawaii and the Philippines, is a picture of idyllic beauty with its white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, and breathtaking vistas. Its Marshallese name even translates to ‘Coconut Place’.
But if you look past the stunning coastlines, coral reefs and palm trees that would entice many at first glance, you’ll learn something a lot darker. There’s a horrifying reason that Bikini Atoll – one of the 23 islands that form the Marshall Islands – has been left ininhabited.
In the aftermath of WWII, the United States chose this atoll for nuclear weapons testing, citing its significance to humanity. Prior to the tests, all 167 residents were reportedly relocated willingly, but due to the radioactive fallout, neither they nor their descendants will ever be able to return.
Between 1946 and 1958, the US military detonated over 23 atomic bombs around the island, causing devastating environmental damage. This included the ‘Bravo’ explosion on March 1, 1954, which was equivalent to 1,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs.
Even after more than six decades, the atoll remains deserted and is expected to stay so for thousands of years. Research indicates that certain areas are still so contaminated that they are over 10 times more radioactive than the Chernobyl site in Ukraine.
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Some people are only just finding out about Bikini Atoll after a TikTok video unveiled its harrowing history, leaving viewers shocked.
One shocked user responded to the video with: “Wow. More than Chornobyl? You’d have to have over 30,000 radiation levels?” Another lamented the loss of the once-idyllic island and its inhabitants, saying: “A perfectly good close by tropical island, ruined. And those poor people.”
Some also realised why the name Bikini Atoll had been ringing bells in their heads. It inspired the setting of the beloved cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants, known as Bikini Bottom.
Another user chimed in: “Yes the SpongeBob movie was inspired from bikini atoll because of the radiation in there the creatures were supposed to mutate and turn into the characters.”
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