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◆ GEOGRAPHY(15 fields)
Area
total: 12 sq km | land: 11.9 sq km | water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Climate
equatorial, hot, and very rainy
Coastline
14.5 km
Elevation
mean elevation: 2 m | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m | highest point: unnamed location on Sand Island 10 m
Environment - current issues
a few of the islets are designated Unexploded Ordnance Areas, a legacy of US Navy occupation (1934-59), and are closed to entry; invasive plants and insects compete with native biota
Geographic coordinates
5 52 N, 162 04 W
Geography - note
about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall
Land boundaries
0 km
Location
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
an extensive surrounding reef is only penetrated by a single western channel
Natural resources
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Terrain
very lowlying atoll consists of an extensive reef, two shallow lagoons, and about 50 islets and bars covered with vegetation
◆ GOVERNMENT(4 fields)
Country name
conventional long form: none | conventional short form: Palmyra Atoll | etymology: named for the USS Palmyra, which was shipwrecked on the reef in 1802
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 the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea limit or within the lagoon
Flag description
the flag of the US is used
Legal system
the laws of the US apply where applicable
◆ INTRODUCTION(1 fields)
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 part privately owned by the Nature Conservancy and part US Government-owned and administered 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.
◆ MILITARY AND SECURITY(1 fields)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the US
◆ PEOPLE AND SOCIETY(1 fields)
Population
no indigenous inhabitants (July 2014 est.) | note: variable temporary population of 4 to 20 staff and scientists of the Nature Conservancy and the US Fish and Wildlife Service
◆ TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(1 fields)
Disputes - international
none
◆ TRANSPORTATION(2 fields)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 1 (2013) | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)
Ports and terminals
West Lagoon