srupted 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
uninhabited atoll was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US
and British companies mined for guano deposits 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,
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 Wildl