While the strategically important islands scattered acrossPolynesia andMicronesia are relatively small, they are rich in history and nature. The nearly barren Howland is famous for being the island renowned American pilotAmelia Earhart intended to land on before she vanished during her round-the-world flight in 1937. Wake, hometo a now extinct flightless bird, was the site of apitchedWorld War II battle in 1941, and was an essential stopover for aircraft transiting the Pacific in the mid-20th century. Likewise, Midway Atoll is home to many corals and birds and was also the center of a famous battle of WW2, which helped turn the tide of the Pacific War. Other islands are rich in unique biodiversity, such as Palmyra, the site of a WW2 base. Johnston Atoll was a famous island for its Cold War base, when it was expanded and used to destroy chemical weapon stockpiles; it was also the site of a nuclear accident. Johnston was heavily modified with land expansion, while others are nearly untouched nature reserves.
The populatedStewart Islands, called Sikaiana and now effectively controlled by theSolomon Islands, are not included in official lists of U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. In 1856, theKingdom of Hawaii Privy Council andKing Kamehameha IV voted to accept their voluntary cession. The Kingdom later became theRepublic of Hawaii, all of which was annexed by theUnited States in 1898. In 1959, the resulting federal U.S.Territory of Hawaii, excluding onlyPalmyra Atoll andMidway Atoll, became a U.S. state. Residents of the Stewart Islands, who arePolynesian like thenative Hawaiians rather thanMelanesian, claimed to be citizens of the United States since the Stewart Islands were given to King Kamehameha IV in 1856 and were part of Hawaii at the time of the United States annexation in 1898. The U.S. federal and Hawaii state governments informally accept the recent claim of theSolomon Islands over the Stewart Islands, and the United States makes no official claim of sovereignty.[3]
There has been no recorded modernIndigenous population, except at the1940 census. During the late 2010s, the U.S. military began reinvesting in the airfield and other assets onWake Island.[5]
The islands are grouped for statistical convenience. They are neither administered collectively nor share a single cultural or political history beyond being uninhabited islands under the sovereignty of the United States. They are all outside thecustoms territory of the United States and have no customs duties.[6] Except forMidway Atoll, the Pacific islands are surrounded by largeexclusive economic zones and are within the bounds of thePacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
They are collectively represented by theISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codeUM. The individual islands haveISO 3166-2 numerical codes.
Most of the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands islands are closed to the public. Visitors to islands such asJarvis Island need a permit.Palmyra Atoll is open to the public, but there is no easy way to reach it.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
^Each island (except for Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank) has a uniqueFIPS (INCITS) code treating it as acounty-equivalent for statistical purposes; "74" is the state-level code for the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.[16][17]
^GEC stands for "Geopolitical Entities and Codes", a coding system superseding theFIPS 10-4 codes; the codes (such as FQ forBaker Island) treat each island as if it were a country.[18]
Airports in the United States Minor Outlying Islands provide critical emergency landing points across the vast Pacific Ocean for all aircraft types, allow for important military presence in key strategic zones, and have limited scheduled commercial services. The following is a list of island airports withICAO (IATA) codes:
Johnston Atoll Airport,Johnston Atoll (Formerly PJON/JON): The airport was built during WWII and saw significant commercial traffic during the second half of the 20th century. However, it was abandoned in 2003.[29]
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