Page 3: World Overview 130 tests were conducted by the USSR on
the Novaya Zemlya Island in the Arctic Ocean. The United States’
testing in the Pacific totaled over 100, including the Marshall
Islands’ Eniwetok Atoll (43), Bikini Atoll (23), Christmas
Island (33 including nine tests conducted by the United Kingdom)
and Johnston Atoll (12). Lop Nur Test Site in Western China has
been the site of some 45 tests. France conducted 17 tests in
Regaane and near In Ekker in Algeria while the United Kingdom
conducted 12 nuclear tests in mainland South Australia at
Maralinga and Emu field, and in the Monte Bello Islands off the
western coast of Australia. The purpose of nuclear testing for
military purposes is multifaceted. From a technical point of
view, nuclear testing provides information on how well nuclear
weapons work, how they behave under various conditions and how
adjacent structures react to nuclear explosions. However, there
is also the political aspect: that is, the importance of making
a political statement