ranted
access to the islands for 50 years

Transnational Issues Palau

Disputes - international:
border delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines,
Indonesia

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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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
land: 11.9 sq km
water: 0 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:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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) (2005)

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 2005 est.)

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; the Office of Insular Affairs of