- Palmyra Atoll
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Palmyra Atoll
Introduction Palmyra Atoll
Background: 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 privately owned by the Nature Conservancy. This organization is managing the atoll as a nature preserve. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12 nautical mile US territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and were designated a National Wildlife Refuge in January 2001. Geography Palmyra Atoll -
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa
Geographic coordinates: 5 52 N, 162 06 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 11.9 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 11.9 sq km
Area - comparative: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 14.5 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: equatorial, hot, and very rainy
Terrain: very low
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 2 m
Natural resources: terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (forests and woodlands) (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall People Palmyra Atoll
Population: no indigenous inhabitants; 4 to 20 Nature Conservancy staff, US Fish and Wildlife staff (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate: NA Government Palmyra Atoll
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Palmyra Atoll
Dependency status: incorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used Economy Palmyra Atoll -
Economy - overview: no economic activity Transportation Palmyra Atoll
Highways: much of the road and many causeways built during World War II are unserviceable and overgrown (2001)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: West Lagoon
Airports: 1 (2001) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001) Military Palmyra Atoll
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Palmyra Atoll Disputes - international: none* * *
coral atoll, unincorporated territory of the United States, in the Northern Line Islands in the west-central Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southwest of Honolulu. It comprises some 50 islets with a combined area of 4 square miles (10 square km) and an average elevation of only 6 feet (2 metres) above sea level. The atoll was sighted in 1798 by an American ship under the command of Capt. Edmund Fanning, but the ship did not land. In 1802 the American ship Palmyra made landfall. The atoll was annexed by the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1862 and by Britain in 1889. In 1898 the United States annexed Palmyra as part of the Hawaiian Islands territory. During World War II the atoll's central lagoon and joined islets were used as airstrips. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, Palmyra was not included. The atoll, once a producer of copra, is a nearly unspoiled tropical wilderness that is home to many species of coral, marine animals, and seabirds. It was declared a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge in 2001 after its purchase by a private conservation group. In 2009 it was designated part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine national monument. There are no permanent inhabitants.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
