Hatohobei State
Hatohobei is the southernmost state of Palau. It has an area of 3 km² and an estimated population of 44 (as of 2005). Together with the state of Sonsorol, located 200 km to the north, they make up the Southwestern Palau Islands.
Geography
It is made up of Tobi Island (Hatohobei), where the only town and capital of the state is located; they also include Helen Reef (Hotsarihie) and Transit Reef (Pieraurou). The official languages are English, Sonsoral and Tobiano.
| N.o | Island | Villa | Area (km2) | Population est. 2000 | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tobi (Hatohobei) | Hatohobei | 0.60 | 20 | 3°0′22′N 131°7′26′′E / 3.00611, 131.12389 (Tobi) |
| 2 | Arrecife Helen (Hotsarihie) | Marine station | 0.03 | 3 | 3°0′N 131°11′E / 3,000, 131.183 (Helen Reef) |
| 3 | Arrecife TransitPieraurou) | - | - | - | 2°47′N 132°32′E / 2.783, 132.533 (Transit Reef) |
| State of Hatohobei | Hatohobei | 0.63 | 23 |
Tobi Island
Tobi Island is the only inhabited island in the state (not counting the permanently guarded marine station on the second island, Helen) and is located at 3°0′ 22″N 131°7′26″E / 3.00611, 131.12389 (Tobi), 645 km southwest of Koror, 645 km southeast of Mindanao, and 320 km from Halmahera. Its extension is 0.6 km² and its highest point is 6 m, while most of the island is less than 3 m high. Most of the houses are situated in Tobi (Hatohobei) village on the southwestern side of the island, and it is the state capital. The island is covered with coconut palms and there is a cultivated area near the center of the island. The island is surrounded by a reef that surrounds up to 800 m from the shore in the north. It was sighted in 1710 by the British captain Woodes Rogers.
Helen Reef
Helen or Helens (Hotsarihie) Reef, about 70 km east of Tobi Island, is a largely submerged atoll, with a single islet (Helen Island). The atoll is 25 km long and almost 10 km wide, with a lagoon area of 103 km² and a total area, including the reef flat, of 163 km². A channel juts out into the lagoon from about halfway down the western side of the reef. Immediately south of the channel is Round Rock, which is drying up. The lagoon has about 85 patch and pinnacle reefs.
At low tide, the water rushes out of the lagoon and over the reef in all directions until the reef is exposed, then out the channel on the western side. When the tide rises, an inverse effect is observed. Only a few parts of the reef dry up completely.
Helen Island, the only island in the reef, is located near its northern end. It is tiny compared to Helen Reef, at about 20 to 40 m wide and 400 m long, or about 0.03 km² in area. The densely forested island sits on a 0.25 km² long sand dune that moves southeast, falling into the lagoon at a rate of 3 to 4 m per year. The island is uninhabited, except for a Hatohobei State Marine Guard Station, which was established in the early 1990s on the eastern side of the island, to guard the reef against foreign poachers. The station is permanently occupied by a staff of three people.
Helen Island was discovered by the Spanish naval officer Felipe Tompson in 1773, who mapped it as the San Felix Bank.
Transit Reef
50 km east of Helen Reef is Transit Reef (Pieraurou), which appears on some maps and is referred to as an island in the Hatohobei State constitution and is the southernmost feature of Palau. However, its existence as an island is doubtful, since it does not appear on current navigation charts. The literal translation of its tobiano name Pieraurou is 'sandy navigation point', referring to a submerged sandbar rather than a reef or island.
Education
The Ministry of Education manages various public schools.
Hatohobei Elementary School has only one teacher and was established in 1962.
Palau Secondary School in Koror is the only public secondary school in the country, so children from this community attend it.