Brief Description
"In the wake of World War II, in a move closely related to the beginnings of the Cold War, the United States of America decided to resume nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean, on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall archipelago. After the displacement of the local inhabitants, 67 nuclear tests were carried out from 1946 to 1958, including the explosion of the first H-bomb (1952). Bikini Atoll has conserved direct tangible evidence that is highly significant in conveying the power of the nuclear tests, i.e. the sunken ships sent to the bottom of the lagoon by the tests in 1946 and the gigantic Bravo crater. Equivalent to 7,000 times the force of the Hiroshima bomb, the tests had major consequences on the geology and natural environment of Bikini Atoll and on the health of those who were exposed to radiation. Through its history, the atoll symbolises the dawn of the nuclear age, despite its paradoxical image of peace and of earthly paradise. This is the first site from the Marshall Islands to be inscribed on the World Heritage List."
比基尼环礁
"第二次世界大战后，历史进入了以冷战为标志的新一页。在此背景下，美国决定在位于太平洋马绍尔 群岛的比基尼环礁恢复核试验。他们疏散了居民，并在1946 年至1958年间，在此进行了67次核武器爆炸试验，其中还包括第一枚氢弹（1952年）的爆炸。在泻湖中还沉睡着1946年试验时被击沉的舰队，环礁中 还能看到巨大的“布拉沃”弹坑，它们都是核武器爆炸最直接的证据。这里爆炸的总当量达到了广岛原子弹爆炸当量的7000倍，对比基尼环礁的地质、自然环境 和遭辐射人群的健康造成严重的影响。出于这一历史原因，比基尼环礁成为原子时代到来的象征，尽管环礁的和平美丽如天堂般的风景与这一象征大相径庭。这是马 绍尔群岛首个被列入《世界遗产名录》的遗址。"
Source UNESCO WH website http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1226
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