Ant Coast

Ant Coast takes its name from Ant Atoll, a small ring of land and reef off the west coast of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Together with nearby Pakin Atoll, Ant forms the Senyavin group. Its position at the edge of Pohnpei's lagoon places the atoll along a maritime approach to one of Micronesia's largest and most historically important islands. The sheltered water, reefs and low islets make the surrounding sea a distinctive coastal environment.

Tradition connects Ant with Isokelekel, the semi-mythical hero king said to have lived there and learned local customs before conquering Pohnpei from Nan Madol. The atoll also has finds of an ancient civilization, possibly linked to the people who built Nan Madol. For Europeans, the first recorded visit came on 14 September 1529, when Álvaro de Saavedra arrived shortly before his death. Later navigators also passed through the group.

Colonies of seabirds, especially black noddies, gave the coast an important ecological role, and its reefs offered fishing grounds.