sh.
Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy
during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased
the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the
abolition of slavery in 1848.

Wake Island
The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station.
An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In
December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and held
until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was
developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and
commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's
airstrip has been used by the US military, as well as for emergency
landings. All operations on the island were suspended and all
personnel evacuated in August 2006 with the approach of super
typhoon IOKE (category 5), which struck the island with sustained
winds of 250 kph and a 6 m storm surge inflicting major damage. A US
Air Force assessment and repair team returned to the island in
September and restored limited function to the airfield and
facilities. The future status of activities on the island will be
determined upon completion of the survey and assessment.

Wallis and Futuna
The Futuna island group was discovered by the
Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the
French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In
1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French
overseas territory.

West Bank
The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington in
September 1993, provided for a transitional period of Palestinian
interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. A
transfer of authority to the Palestinian Authority (PA) for the Gaza
Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994
Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and, in
additional areas of the West Bank, pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28
September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997
Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23
October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm
el-Sheikh Agreement. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent
status of Gaza and the West Bank began in September 1999 after a
three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifadah that
bro