Enewetak Atoll (or
Eniwetok Atoll, sometimes also spelled
Eniewetok; , , or , ) is a large
coral atoll of 40 islands in the
Pacific Ocean and with its 850 people forms a legislative district of the
Ralik Chain of the
Marshall Islands. Its
land area totals less than , is not higher than 5 metres and surrounds a deep central
lagoon, in
circumference. It is the second-westernmost atoll of the Ralik Chain and is west from
Bikini Atoll. The
U.S. government referred to the atoll as "Eniwetok" until 1974, when it changed its official spelling to "Enewetak" (along with many other Marshall Islands
place names, to more properly reflect their
pronunciation by the Marshall Islanders). In 1977–1980, a concrete dome was built on Runit Island to deposit radioactive soil and debris.