Photos of the Pattiw Islands of Chuuk State, Micronesia

The Pattiw or Western Islands, around 250 kilometres west of Chuuk Lagoon, consist of the atolls of Pulap (or Pollap), Poluwat (or Puluwat, 36 kilometres to its southwest) and the small island of Pulusuk (Houk), 74 kilometres further south. Pulap atoll has two inhabited islets, Pulap and Tamatam and a total population of around 1200. Poluwat has one inhabited island with a small lagoon and two villages: Relong and Rewow, with a population of about 1000. The island of Alet (or Alei) still has the 40-metre high concrete lighthouse the Japanese built and other relics from the war.