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United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Introduction |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Background:
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All of the following US Pacific island territories except Midway
Atoll 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 the Interior. Midway Atoll NWR has been
included in a Refuge Complex with the Hawaiian Islands NWR and also
designated as part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
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 began 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 began 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.
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Geography |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Location:
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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 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
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Geographic coordinates:
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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
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total - 6,959.41 sq km; emergent land - 22.41 sq km; submerged -
6,937 sq km
Baker Island: total - 129.1 sq km; emergent land - 2.1 sq
km; submerged - 127 sq km
Howland Island: total - 138.6 sq km; emergent land - 2.6
sq km; submerged - 136 sq km
Jarvis Island: total - 152 sq km; emergent land - 5 sq
km; submerged - 147 sq km
Johnston Atoll: total - 276.6 sq km; emergent land - 2.6
sq km; submerged - 274 sq km
Kingman Reef: total - 1,958.01 sq km; emergent land -
0.01 sq km; submerged - 1,958 sq km
Midway Islands: total - 2,355.2 sq km; emergent land -
6.2 sq km; submerged - 2,349 sq km
Palmyra Atoll: total - 1,949.9 sq km; emergent land - 3.9
sq km; submerged - 1,946 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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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
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Land boundaries:
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none
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Coastline:
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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
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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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
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Terrain:
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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
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Elevation extremes:
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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 2 m; Midway
Islands, unnamed location - 13 m; Palmyra Atoll, unnamed
location - 3 m
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Natural resources:
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terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
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Land use:
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arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2008)
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Natural hazards:
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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 2 m makes Kingman Reef a maritime
hazard
Midway Islands, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls: NA
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Environment - current issues:
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Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Johnston Atoll:
no natural fresh water resources
Kingman Reef: none
Midway Islands and Palmyra Atoll: NA
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Geography - note:
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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;
closed to the public
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; closed to the public
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; supports a large
undisturbed stand of Pisonia beach forest
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People |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Population:
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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, US Fish and
Wildlife staff, and researchers
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Government |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Baker Island; Howland Island;
Jarvis Island; Johnston Atoll; Kingman Reef; Midway Islands;
Palmyra Atoll
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Dependency status:
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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
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Legal system:
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the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (territories of the US)
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Flag description:
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the flag of the US is used
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Economy |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Economy - overview:
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no economic activity
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Transportation |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Airports:
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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: one 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 (2008)
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Ports and terminals:
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Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Kingman Reef:
none; offshore anchorage only
Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island
Midway Islands: Sand Island
Palmyra Atoll: West Lagoon
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Military |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Military - note:
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defense is the responsibility of the US
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Transnational Issues |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 1 May,
2008
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MW Guide:
Introduction
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