Baker & Howland Islands and Jarvis Island
Location: Central Pacific Ocean.
Time: GMT - 12.

Area: Baker Island: 1.63 sq km (0.62 sq mile) surrounded by 123.44 sq km (47.66 sq miles) of submerged land. Howland Island: 1.84 sq km (0.71 sq mile) surrounded by 129.79 sq km (50 sq miles) of submerged land. Jarvis Island: 4.39 sq km (1.69 sq miles) surrounded by 143.24 sq km (55.30 sq miles) of submerged land. Population: Currently uninhabited. Geography: Baker & Howland Islands are two low-lying coral atolls located about 2,575km (1,600 miles) southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. There are no lagoons on the islands. Jarvis Island is a low-lying coral island about 2,090km (1,300 miles) south of Hawaii. History: The islands were originally settled by the USA in 1935, but were subsequently evacuated during WWII. In 1974, the islands were registered as national wildlife refuges to be administered by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and visitors wishing to land on the islands must seek permission from this organisation. In 1990, Congress passed legislation for the islands to be included within the boundaries of the State of Hawaii.


Johnston Atoll
Location: Pacific Ocean.
Time: GMT - 10.

Area: 2.6 sq km (1 sq mile). Population: Uninhabited. Geography: Located 1,319km (820 miles) west–southwest of Honolulu, Johnston Atoll consists of Johnston Island, Sand Island and two manmade islands, East (Hikina) and North (Akua). History: The USA began a chemical disposal facility on Johnston Atoll in 1985, but it was not until 1989 that it gained the world’s attention when the USA agreed to destroy 400 tons of nerve gas here after transporting it from the Federal Republic of Germany. Complaints were lodged by the South Pacific Forum nations and various environmental groups, which resulted in the USA sending a group of scientists to monitor the safety of the disposal facility’s activities. Today the atoll is no longer a storage or disposal site for chemical weapons; by 2004, the site was completely cleaned and closed. An oasis for reef and birdlife, nowadays, the atoll is jointly administered by the Department of the Interior, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Department of Defense, Johnston Atoll.


Kingman Reef
Location: Pacific Ocean.

Geography: Located 1,500km (925 miles) southwest of Hawaii, Kingman Reef consists of a reef and shoal measuring 8km (5 miles) by 15km (9.5 miles). History: The reef is closed to public access and was a Naval Defense Sea Area and Airspace Reservation administered by the US Department of Defense. In 1990, Congress passed legislation for the reef to be included within the boundaries of the State of Hawaii. In 2001, the waters around the reef were designated a National Wildlife Refuge. For further information, contact the US Fish & Wildlife Service – Pacific Islands.


Midway Islands
Location: Northern Pacific Ocean.
Time: GMT - 11.

Area: 5 sq km (2 sq miles). Population: 40 (US Fish and Wildlife Service staff 2007). Geography: Located 1,850km (1,150 miles) northwest of Hawaii, the Midway Islands consist of Sand Island, Eastern Island and several small islets within the reef. History: The islands’ administration transferred from the US Department of Defense to the Department of the Interior in 1996. Limited tourism is now permitted; the islands are a national wildlife refuge (contact Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge). However, regularly scheduled trips to Midway are currently not available, but attempts are being made to re-establish these. In 1990, Congress passed legislation for the territory to be included within the boundaries of the State of Hawaii.


Navassa Island
Location: Caribbean Sea.
Time: GMT - 5.

Area: 5.2 sq km (2 sq miles). Population: Uninhabited. Geography: Navassa Island is a raised coral island with a limestone plateau and lies 160km (100 miles) south of Guatánamo Bay, Cuba and 65km (40 miles) west of Haiti. History: In 1857, Navassa became a US Insular Area and was mined for guano until operations ceased in 1898. In 1997, the Office of Insular Affairs, under the control of the US Department of the Interior, took responsibility of the island. Reports in 1998 showed that a variety of unique plant and animal species existed on Navassa and visits to the island were subsequently prohibited. The US Department of the Interior and US Fish and Wildlife Service took command in 1999 and it became a National Wildlife Refuge.


Palmyra
Location: Pacific Ocean. Time: GMT - 11.

Area: 100 hectares (247 acres). Population: Uninhabited. Geography: Palmyra is made up of approximately 50 low-lying islets about 1,600km (1,000 miles) south of Honolulu. History: Administered by the US Department of the Interior since 1961, Palmyra was included within the boundaries of the State of Hawaii after legislation in 1990. In 1996, it became known that the Hawaiian owners of the islands were to sell the atoll to a US company which was allegedly planning to establish a nuclear waste storage facility. The government of Kiribati protested at these moves and reiterated its attempts to include the atoll within its own national boundaries. However, the original designs for the island were abandoned and, in November 2000, the atoll was sold to the Nature Conservancy (website: http://nature.org) for approximately US$30 million. The lagoons and surrounding waters were later transferred to the US Fish & Wildlife Service in January 2001, and it was designated a National Wildlife Refuge.


Wake Island
Location: Pacific Ocean. Time: GMT + 12.

Area: 8 sq km (3 sq miles). Population: 200 (2005 estimate). Geography: Wake Island lies in the Pacific Ocean and consists of three islets, Wake, Wilkes and Peale, approximately 2,060km (1,280 miles) east of Guam and 500km (310 miles) north of the Marshall Islands. The location (not the size) of this island makes it of major importance to the US government. History: A protectorate island of the USA, the US flag having been formally raised over the island in 1898, its strategic location has led in the past to its use as a trans-Pacific telegraph relay station and a stopover for flights in the days before jet flight became universal. From 1941-44, it was occupied by the Japanese. In 1990, Congress proposed that the islands should be included within the boundaries of Guam. This sparked off a reaction from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which also claimed rights to the island. The island has been a military air force base since 1972 and is administered by the US Department of Defense.