Bikini Atoll (pronounced or ; Marshallese: , , meaning coconut place) is an atoll in the Marshall Islands. The atoll consists of 23 islands totaling surrounding a deep central lagoon at the northern end of the Ralik Chain (approximately northwest of Ailinginae Atoll and northwest of Majuro). Within Bikini Atoll, Bikini, Eneu, Nam and Enidrik islands comprise just over 70% of the land area. Bikini and Eneu are the only islands of the atoll that hosted a permanent population. Bikini Island is the northeastern most and largest islet. Before World War II, the atoll was known by its Baltic German name as Escholtz Atoll.