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
People United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
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
Government United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
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