United States Minor Outlying Islands - Wikipedia





	
	

	
	

	United States Minor Outlying Islands

	
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		Group of mostly uninhabited insular areas of the United States as defined by ISO

	United States Minor Outlying Islands


	
            

        

        Flag

	Motto: 	"In God We Trust" (official)
	"E Pluribus Unum" (Latin) (traditional)
	"Out of Many, One"




	Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

	Locations of the United States Minor Outlying Islands in the Pacific Ocean; note that Navassa Island is not located on this map.

	Administrative center	Washington, D.C.
	Largest village	Wake Atoll
	National language	English
	Demonym(s)	American Islander
	Government
	
	• President 
	Joe Biden (D)
	

	Area
	• Total
	34.2 km2 (13.2 sq mi) (unranked)
	• Water (%)
	88.6
	Population
	• 2009 estimate
	300 (232nd)
	• 2000 census
	316
	GDP (PPP)	estimate
	• Per capita
	$46,381a (6th)
	Currency	United States dollar (US$) (USD)
	Time zone	UTC−12 to −10, −5, +12
	ISO 3166 code	UM
	Internet TLD	.us b
		2000 estimate.
	.um was retired in 2008.





  
Brown boobies atop pier posts at Johnston Atoll, September 2005



United States Minor Outlying Islands is a statistical designation defined by the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 3166-1 code. The entry code is ISO 3166-2:UM. The minor outlying islands and groups of islands consist of eight United States insular areas in the Pacific Ocean (Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Atoll) and one in the Caribbean Sea (Navassa Island).


Contents


	1 History
	2 Overview
	3 Transportation
	3.1 Airports
	3.2 Seaports



	4 Islands and atolls
	5 Flora and fauna
	6 See also
	7 References
	8 External links





History[edit]

In 1936 a colonization program began to settle Americans on Baker, Howland, and Jarvis, but all three islands were evacuated in 1942 as a result of World War II.[1][2]

ISO introduced the term "United States Minor Outlying Islands" in 1986. From 1974 until 1986, five of the islands (Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Kingman Reef) were grouped under the term United States Miscellaneous Pacific Islands, with ISO 3166 code PU. The code of Midway Atoll was 
MI, the code of Johnston Atoll was 
JT, and the code of Wake Island was 
WK. Prior to 1986, Navassa Island, along with several small islands in the Caribbean Sea that are no longer under U.S. sovereignty, were grouped under the term United States Miscellaneous Caribbean Islands, with FIPS country code 
BQ.

The populated Stewart Islands, called Sikaiana and now effectively controlled by the Solomon Islands, are not included in official lists of U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. In 1856, the Kingdom of Hawaii Privy Council and King Kamehameha IV voted to accept their voluntary cession.  The Kingdom later became the Republic of Hawaii, all of which was annexed by the United States in 1898.  In 1959, the resulting federal U.S. Territory of Hawaii, excluding only Palmyra Atoll and Midway Atoll, became a U.S. state. Residents of the Stewart Islands, who are Polynesian like the native Hawaiians rather than Melanesian, claimed to be citizens of the United States since the Stewart Islands were given to King Kamehameha IV in 1856 and were part of Hawaii at the time of the United States' annexation in 1898.  The U.S. federal and Hawaii state governments informally accept the recent claim of the Solomon Islands over the Stewart Islands, and the United States makes no official claim of sovereignty.[3]


Overview[edit]

Except for Palmyra Atoll, all of these islands are unincorporated unorganized territories of the United States. As of 2019[update], none of the islands has any permanent residents.  The Territory of Palmyra Atoll is an incorporated territory, separated in 1959 from the rest of the former incorporated Territory of Hawaii when Hawaii became a state.  The only human population consists of temporarily stationed scientific and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel. The 2000 census counted 315 people on Johnston Atoll and 94 people on Wake Atoll.[4]

There has been no modern indigenous population, except at the 1940 census. 

The islands are grouped together as a statistical convenience. They are not administered collectively, nor do they share a single cultural or political history beyond being uninhabited islands under the sovereignty of the United States. They are all outside of the customs territory of the United States and have no customs duties.[5]  Except for Midway Atoll, the Pacific islands are surrounded by large exclusive economic zones and are within the bounds of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

They are collectively represented by the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code UM. The individual islands have ISO 3166-2 numerical codes.

The Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) ".um" has historically been assigned to the islands; however, the .um ccTLD was retired in January 2007.[6]

Most of the islands in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands are closed to the public. Visitors to islands such as Jarvis Island need a permit. Palmyra Atoll is open to the public, but there is no easy way to reach it.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]


Transportation[edit]

Airports[edit]

See also: List of airports in United States minor islands

Airports in the United States minor outlying islands provide critical emergency landing points across the vast Pacific Ocean for all types of aircraft, allow for important military presence in key strategic zones, and have limited scheduled commercial services. The following is a list of island airports with ICAO (IATA) codes:


	PMDY (MDY): Henderson Field, Sand Island, Midway Atoll
	PWAK (AWK): Wake Island Airfield, Wake Atoll
	PLPA: Palmyra (Cooper) Airport, Cooper Island, Palmyra Atoll


Other airports include:


	Kamakaiwi Field: Howland Island (from 1937 to about 1945)[15]
	Kingman Reef: The lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938.[16]
	Johnston Atoll Airport, Johnston Atoll (Formerly PJON/JON): The airport was built during WWII, and saw significant commercial traffic during the second half of the 20th century. However, it was abandoned in 2003.[17]


Seaports[edit]

Three of the islands are listed with ports in the World Port Index,[18] with World Port Number:


	56325 JOHNSTON ATOLL: Johnston Atoll
	56328 MIDWAY ISLAND: Midway Atoll
	56330 WAKE ISLAND: Wake Atoll
	not listed WEST LAGOON: Palmyra Atoll


Baker Island, Howland Island, and Jarvis Island each have a small boat landing place. Kingman Reef and Navassa Island have offshore anchorage only.




Islands and atolls[edit]

	Atoll or island	Island area (km2)	Lagoon (km2)	Coordinates	NWR
established	Acquired	FIPS CodeF	GECG[19]

	
North Pacific Ocean, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands



	Midway Atoll	6.2[20]	40	28°13′N 177°22′W / 28.217°N 177.367°W / 28.217; -177.367 (Midway Atoll)	1988 April 22[21]	1867 August 28	74300	MQ

	
North Pacific Ocean, scattered isolated islands



	Wake IslandA	6.5[22]	6	
19°18′N 166°38′E / 19.300°N 166.633°E / 19.300; 166.633 (Wake Island)	2009 January 16[23][24]	1899 January 17	74450	WQ

	Johnston AtollB	2.63[25]	130	
16°45′N 169°31′W / 16.750°N 169.517°W / 16.750; -169.517 (Johnston Atoll)	1926 June 29[26]	1859 September 6	74200	JQ

	
North Pacific Ocean, Northern Line Islands



	Kingman Reef	0.03[27]	76	
6°24′N 162°24′W / 6.400°N 162.400°W / 6.400; -162.400 (Kingman Reef)	2001 January 18[28]	1860 February 8	74250	KQ

	Palmyra AtollB	11.9[29]	15	
5°53′N 162°05′W / 5.883°N 162.083°W / 5.883; -162.083 (Palmyra Atoll)	2001 January 18[30]	1912 February 21	74400	LQ

	
North Pacific Ocean, Northern Phoenix Islands



	Howland Island	1.6[31]	–	
0°48′N 176°37′W / 0.800°N 176.617°W / 0.800; -176.617 (Howland Island)	1974 June 27[1]	1856 October 28	74100	HQ

	Baker Island	1.5[32]	–	
0°12′N 176°29′W / 0.200°N 176.483°W / 0.200; -176.483 (Baker Island)	1974 June 27[1]	1856 October 28	74050	FQ

	
South Pacific Ocean, Central Line Islands



	Jarvis Island	4.5[33]	–	
0°22′S 160°01′W / 0.367°S 160.017°W / -0.367; -160.017 (Jarvis Island)	1974 June 27[2]	1856 October 28	74150	DQ

	
North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea



	Navassa IslandC	5.4[34]	–	
18°24′N 75°01′W / 18.400°N 75.017°W / 18.400; -75.017 (Navassa Island)	1999 December 3[35]	1858 October 31	74350	BQ

	Bajo Nuevo BankD	0.02	155	
15°53′N 78°38′W / 15.883°N 78.633°W / 15.883; -78.633 (Bajo Nuevo Bank)		1869 November 22	(none)	(none)

	Serranilla BankE	0.02	1200	
15°50′N 79°50′W / 15.833°N 79.833°W / 15.833; -79.833 (Serranilla Bank)		1879 September 8
1880 September 13	(none)	(none)

	U.S. Minor Outlying Islands	40.26	267	 	 	 	 	 

	A Claimed by the Marshall Islands.
B Previously claimed by Hawaii when independent. Palmyra Atoll was officially part of Hawaii until 1959.
C Claimed by Haiti.
D Administered by Colombia and claimed by Jamaica and Nicaragua, not included in the ISO list of territories; its area is not included in the total.
E Administered by Colombia and claimed by Honduras and Nicaragua, not included in the ISO list of territories; its area is not included in the total.
FEach island (except for Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank) has a unique FIPS (INCITS) code treating it as a county-equivalent for statistical purposes; "74" is the state-level code for the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.[36][37]
GGEC stands for "Geopolitical Entities and Codes", a coding system superseding the FIPS 10-4 codes; the codes (such as FQ for Baker Island) treat each island as if it were a country.[19]



Flora and fauna[edit]

		This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.  (August 2019)



	List of birds of the United States Minor Outlying Islands
	List of mammals of the United States Minor Outlying Islands


See also[edit]

	Guano Islands Act
	Insular Cases
	List of airports by ICAO code: P
	List of territorial disputes


References[edit]


	^ a b c "Office of Insular Affairs: Baker and Howland Islands". United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2015-03-03.

	^ a b 
"Office of Insular Affairs: Jarvis Island". United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2015-03-03.

	^ 
"GAO/OGC-98-5 – U.S. Insular Areas: Application of the U.S. Constitution". U.S. Government Printing Office. November 7, 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2013.

	^ US Census 2000 Population Summary — see Table I

	^ 19 CFR 101.1

	^ 
Jesdanun, Anick (24 January 2007). "Unused Domain Name for U.S. Isles Gone". NBC News. Retrieved 2007-09-28.

	^ 
"Midway Atoll NWR - Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov.

	^ 
"About the Refuge - Johnston Atoll - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov.

	^ 
"About the Refuge - Baker Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov.

	^ 
"About the Refuge - Howland Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov.

	^ 
"Rare tour to Wake Island". www.intltravelnews.com.

	^ 
"About the Refuge - Jarvis Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov.

	^ 
"Plan Your Visit - Navassa Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov.

	^ 
"Plan Your Visit - Palmyra Atoll - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov.

	^ 
"Search results". e-Archives. Purdue University Libraries. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2011-06-10.

	^ 
"Kingman Reef". The World Factbook. FAQs.org. 2002. Retrieved 2011-06-10.

	^ 
"Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Western Pacific Islands". Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.

	^ 
"NGA.mil". National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on September 24, 2009.

	^ a b 
"Appendix D :: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov.

	^ 
"Australia - Oceania :: Midway Islands — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-03-16.

	^ 
"Executive Order 13022: Administration of the Midway Islands". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2011-06-10.

	^ 
"Australia - Oceania :: Wake Island — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov.

	^ 
"Presidential Proclamation 8336" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-06-10.

	^ 
"Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents: Monday, January 12, 2009 Volume 45—Number 1, Page 14" (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2011.

	^ 
"Australia - Oceania :: Johnston Atoll — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-03-16.

	^ 
"Office of Insular Affairs: Johnston Island - History". United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2011-06-10.

	^ 
"Kingman Reef | United States territory, Pacific Ocean". Encyclopedia Britannica.

	^ 
"Department of the Interior: Secretary's Order #3223". United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-06-10.

	^ 
"Australia - Oceania :: Palmyra Atoll — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-03-16.

	^ 
"Department of the Interior: Secretary's Order #3224". United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-06-10.

	^ 
"Australia - Oceania :: Howland Island — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-03-16.

	^ 
"Baker Island | island and territory, United States". Encyclopedia Britannica.

	^ 
"Australia - Oceania :: Jarvis Island — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-03-16.

	^ 
"Central America :: Navassa Island — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov.

	^ 
"Department of the Interior: Secretary's Order #3210". United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-06-10.

	^ 
"United States Minor Outlying Islands Territories". www.statoids.com.

	^ 
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2018-07-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)





External links[edit]

		Wikimedia Commons has media related to United States Minor Outlying Islands.


	WorldStatesmen – U.S.
	Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
	CIA World Factbook: United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges


		v
	t
	e


Protected areas of the United States Minor Outlying Islands

	Marine national monuments	
	Pacific Remote Islands
	Papahānaumokuākea




	National Memorials	
	Battle of Midway




	National Wildlife Refuges	
	Baker Island
	Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex
	Navassa Island


	Howland Island
	Jarvis Island
	Johnston Atoll
	Kingman Reef
	Midway Atoll
	Palmyra Atoll
	Wake Island




	The Nature Conservancy	
	Palmyra Preserve




	
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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Minor_Outlying_Islands&oldid=1003329385"


		Categories: 	United States Minor Outlying Islands
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