United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

§1. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Introduction

Background:
  The following US Pacific island territories constitute the Pacific Remote
  Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex and as such are managed by the
  Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of Interior. These remote
  refuges are the most widespread collection of marine- and terrestrial-life
  protected areas on the planet under a single country's jurisdiction. They
  protect many endemic species including corals, fish, shellfish, marine
  mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation not
  found elsewhere.
  Baker Island: The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano
    deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of
    the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was
    begun on this island but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter
    abandoned. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in
    1974.
  Howland Island: Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the island
    was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British companies
    mined for guano until about 1890. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at
    colonization was begun on this island, similar to the effort on nearby
    Baker Island, but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned.
    The famed American aviatrix Amelia EARHART disappeared while seeking out
    Howland Island as a refueling stop during her 1937 round-the-world
    flight; Earhart Light, a day beacon near the middle of the west coast,
    was named in her memory. The island was established as a National
    Wildlife Refuge in 1974.
  Jarvis Island: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited
    island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after tons of
    guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889, but never
    carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed
    the island in 1935 until it was abandoned in 1942 during World War II.
    The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974.
  Johnston Atoll: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston
    Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the
    late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in
    1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US
    Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high- altitude
    nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll
    was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons.
    Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and closure of the
    facility was completed by May 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the
    US Air Force are currently discussing future management options, in the
    interim Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it
    remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air
    Force.
  Kingman Reef: The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served
    as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights
    during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which
    is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine
    fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm
    were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge.
  Midway Islands: The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The
    laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands,
    brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was
    used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory
    over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of
    World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until
    closed in 1993. Today the islands are a National Wildlife Refuge and are
    the site of the world's largest Laysan albatross colony.
  Palmyra Atoll: The Kingdom of Hawaii claimed the atoll in 1862, and the US
    included it among the Hawaiian Islands when it annexed the archipelago in
    1898. The Hawaii Statehood Act of 1959 did not include Palmyra Atoll,
    which is now partly privately owned by the Nature Conservancy with the
    rest owned by the Federal government and managed by the US Fish and
    Wildlife Service. These organizations are managing the atoll as a
    wildlife refuge. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12 nm US
    territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and
    designated as a National Wildlife Refuge in January 2001.

§2. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Geography

Location:
  Oceania
  Baker Island: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,830 nm (3,389 km)
    southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia
  Howland Island: island in the North Pacific Ocean 1,815 nm (3,361 km)
    southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia
  Jarvis Island: island in the South Pacific Ocean 1,305 nm (2,417 km) south
    of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and the Cook Islands
  Johnston Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 nm (1,328 km)
    southwest of Honolulu, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the
    Marshall Islands
  Kingman Reef: reef in the North Pacific Ocean 930 nm (1,722 km) south of
    Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa
  Midway Islands: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,260 nm (2,334 km)
    northwest of Honolulu near the end of the Hawaiian Archipelago, about
    one-third of the way from Honolulu to Tokyo
  Palmyra Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 960 nm (1,778 km) south of
    Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa

Geographic coordinates:
  Baker Island: 0 13 N, 176 28 W
  Howland Island: 0 48 N, 176 38 W
  Jarvis Island: 0 23 S, 160 01 W
  Johnston Atoll: 16 45 N, 169 31 W
  Kingman Reef: 6 23 N, 162 25 W
  Midway Islands: 28 12 N, 177 22 W
  Palmyra Atoll: 5 53 N, 162 05 W

Map references:
  Oceania

Area:
  total - 6,959.41 kmē; emergent land - 22.41 kmē; submerged - 6,937 kmē
  Baker Island: total - 129 kmē; emergent land - 2.1 kmē; submerged - 127 kmē
  Howland Island: total - 139 kmē; emergent land - 2.6 kmē; submerged - 136
    kmē
  Jarvis Island: total - 152 kmē; emergent land - 5 kmē; submerged - 147 kmē
  Johnston Atoll: total - 276.6 kmē; emergent land - 2.6 kmē; submerged - 274
    kmē
  Kingman Reef: total - 1,958.01 kmē; emergent land - 0.01 kmē; submerged -
    1,958 kmē
  Midway Islands: total - 2,355.2 kmē; emergent land - 6.2 kmē; submerged -
    2,349 kmē
  Palmyra Atoll: total - 1,949.9 kmē; emergent land - 3.9 kmē; submerged -
    1,946 kmē

Area - comparative:
  Baker Island: about two and a half times the size of The Mall in
    Washington, DC
  Howland Island: about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
  Jarvis Island: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
  Johnston Atoll: about four and a half times the size of The Mall in
    Washington, DC
  Kingman Reef: a little more than one and a half times the size of The Mall
    in Washington, DC
  Midway Islands: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
  Palmyra Atoll: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  none

Coastline:
  Baker Island: 4.8 km
  Howland Island: 6.4 km
  Jarvis Island: 8 km
  Johnston Atoll: 34 km
  Kingman Reef: 3 km
  Midway Islands: 15 km
  Palmyra Atoll: 14.5 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
  Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant
    wind, burning sun
  Johnston Atoll and Kingman Reef: tropical, but generally dry; consistent
    northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation
  Midway Islands: subtropical with cool, moist winters (December to February)
    and warm, dry summers (May to October); moderated by prevailing easterly
    winds; most of the 1,067 mm (42 in) of annual rainfall occurs during the
    winter
  Palmyra Atoll: equatorial, hot; located within the low pressure area of the
    Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where the northeast and southeast
    trade winds meet, it is extremely wet with between 4,000-5,000 mm
    (160-200 in) of rainfall each year

Terrain:
  low and nearly level sandy coral islands with narrow fringing reefs that
  have developed at the top of submerged volcanic mountains, which in most
  cases rise steeply from the ocean floor

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Baker Island, unnamed location - 8 m; Howland Island,
    unnamed location - 3 m; Jarvis Island, unnamed location - 7 m; Johnston
    Atoll, Sand Island - 10 m; Kingman Reef, unnamed location - less than 1
    m; Midway Islands, unnamed location - 13 m; Palmyra Atoll, unnamed
    location - 2 m

Natural resources:
  terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

Land use:
  arable land: 0%
  permanent crops: 0%
  other: 100% (2005)

Natural hazards:
  Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: the narrow fringing reef surrounding
    the island can be a maritime hazard
  Kingman Reef: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of less than
    1 m makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
  Midway Islands, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls: NA

Environment - current issues:
  Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Johnston Atoll: no natural fresh
    water resources
  Kingman Reef: none
  Midway Islands and Palmyra Atoll: NA

Geography - note:
  Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: scattered vegetation consisting of
    grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting,
    roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine
    wildlife
  Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which
    have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island
    (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; the egg-shaped
    reef is 34 km in circumference
  Kingman Reef: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the
    public
  Midway Islands: a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge and
    open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form of
    wildlife observation and photography
  Palmyra Atoll: the high rainfall and resulting lush vegetation make the
    environment of this atoll unique among the US Pacific Island territories;
    it supports one of the largest remaining undisturbed stands of Pisonia
    beach forest in the Pacific

§3. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges People

Population:
  no indigenous inhabitants
  note: public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife
    Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators;
    visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service
  Johnston Atoll: in previous years, an average of 1,100 US military and
    civilian contractor personnel were present; as of May 2005 all US
    government personnel had left the island
  Midway Islands: approximately 40 people make up the staff of US Fish and
    Wildlife Service and their services contractor living at the atoll
  Palmyra Atoll: four to 20 Nature Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife staff

§4. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: none
  conventional short form: Baker Island; Howland Island; Jarvis Island;
    Johnston Atoll; Kingman Reef; Midway Islands; Palmyra Atoll

Dependency status:
  unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by
  the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part
  of the National Wildlife Refuge system
  note on Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately
    owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC, by
    the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the
    Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues
    to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged
    lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon

Legal system:
  the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
  the flag of the US is used

§5. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Economy

Economy - overview:
  no economic activity

§6. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Transportation

Airports:
  Baker Island: one abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m covered with
    vegetation and unusable
  Howland Island: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop
    on the round-the-world flight of Amelia EARHART and Fred NOONAN; the
    aviators left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island but were never seen
    again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable
  Johnston Atoll: 1 - closed and not maintained
  Kingman Reef: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and
    American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938
  Midway Islands: 3 - one operational (2,409 m paved); no fuel for sale
    except emergencies
  Palmyra Atoll: 1 - 1,846 m unpaved runway; privately owned (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Kingman Reef: none; offshore
    anchorage only
  Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island
  Midway Islands: Sand Island
  Palmyra Atoll: West Lagoon

§7. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of the US

§8. United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none


<Factbook 2006>
