United States Minor Outlying Islands

United States Minor Outlying Islands
Motto: "In God We Trust"
Anthem: Star Spangled Banner
Capital none, Administered from Washington, D.C.
Largest village Wake Island
Official language(s) English
Demonym American, Islander
Government
 -  President Barack Obama (D)
 -  Governor none
 -  Lieutenant Governor none
Area
 -  Total 34.2 km2 (190th)
13.2 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 88.6
Population
 -  2009 estimate 300 (232nd)
 -  2000 census 316 
 -  Density n/a/km2 (n/a)
n/a/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2003 estimate
 -  Total n/a (2005 est.)1 (n/a)
 -  Per capita 46,381 (U.S.)(2005 est.)1 (6)
Currency United States dollar (USD)
Time zone UTC-12 toUTC-4 (UTC-12 to -4)
 -  Summer (DST) (no DST) (UTC)
Internet TLD .um (retired), .us
Calling code +1
1 2000 estimate.

The United States Minor Outlying Islands, a statistical designation defined by the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 3166-1 code, consists of nine United States insular areas in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island. The Caribbean territories of Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank can also be included as per U.S. sources.

Among them, Palmyra Atoll is the only incorporated territory. As of 2008, none of the islands has any permanent residents. The only human population consists of temporarily stationed scientific and military personnel. The 2000 census counted 315 people on Johnston Atoll and 1 person on Wake Island.[1] There has been no modern indigenous population, except at the 1940 census. In 1936 a colonization scheme began to settle Americans on Baker, Howland, and Jarvis, but all three islands were evacuated in 1942 as a result of World War II.[2][3]

The islands are grouped together as a statistical convenience. They are not administered collectively, nor do they share a single cultural or political history beyond being uninhabited islands under the sovereignty of the United States.

They are collectively represented by the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code UM. The individual islands have ISO 3166-2 numerical codes, see ISO 3166-2:UM. The Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) ".um" has historically been assigned to the islands; however, the .um ccTLD was retired in January 2007. [4]

The ISO introduced the term "United States Minor Outlying Islands" in 1986. From 1974 until 1986, five of the islands (Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef) were grouped under the term United States Miscellaneous Pacific Islands, with ISO 3166 code PU. The code of Midway Atoll was MI, the code of Johnston Atoll was JT, and the code of Wake Island was WK.

Contents

Airports

ICAO (IATA) codes:

Ports

Three of the islands are listed with ports in the World Port Index,[7] with World Port Number:

Baker Island, Howland Island and Jarvis Island have a small boat landing place on each. Kingman Reef and Navassa Island have offshore anchorage only.

Islands


Atoll/Island Island Area
km²		 Lagoon
km²		 Coordinates NWR
established		 date of
acquisition

Northern Pacific Ocean, scattered isolated islands
Wake Island1 7.4 6 2009 January 6th[8][9] 1899 January 17th
Johnston Atoll2 2.52 130 1926 July 29th[10] 1859 September 6th

Northern Pacific Ocean, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Midway Atoll 5.18 40 1996 November 1st[11] 1867 August 28th

Central Pacific Ocean, Northern Line Islands
Kingman Reef 0.01 76 2001 January 18th[12] 1860 February 8th
Palmyra Atoll2 6.56 15 2001 January 18th[13] 1912 February 21st

Central Pacific Ocean, Central Line Islands
Jarvis Island 4.45 - 1974 June 27th[3] 1856 October 28th

Central Pacific Ocean, Northern Phoenix Islands
Baker Island 1.24 - 1974 June 27th[2] 1856 October 28th
Howland Island 1.62 - 1974 June 27th[2] 1856 October 28th

Caribbean Sea
Navassa Island3 5.2 - 1999 December 3rd[14] 1858 October 31st
Bajo Nuevo Bank4 0.02 155 N/A 1869 November 22nd
Serranilla Bank4 0.02 1200 N/A 1879 September 8th
1880 September 13th
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 34.2 267      
1 claimed by the Marshall Islands
2 previously claimed by Hawaii when independent. Palmyra was officially part of Hawaii until 1959.
3 claimed by Haiti
4 These islands are disputed with Colombia, Jamaica and Nicaragua, and are not included in the ISO list of territories. Their areas are not included in the totals.

See also

References

  1. ↑ US Census 2000 Population Summary — see Table I
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Office of Insular Affairs: Baker and Howland Islands - History
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Office of Insular Affairs: Jarvis Island - History
  4. ↑ Jesdanun, Anick (24 January 2007). "Unused Domain Name for U.S. Isles Gone". msnbc. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16788293/. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  5. ↑ Purdue University E-Archives : Search Results
  6. ↑ FAQs.org
  7. ↑ NGA.mil
  8. ↑ Presidential Proclamation 8336
  9. ↑ Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents: Monday, January 12, 2009 Volume 45—Number 1, Page 14
  10. ↑ Office of Insular Affairs: Johnston Island - History
  11. ↑ Executive Order 13022: Administration of the Midway Islands
  12. ↑ Department of the Interior: Secretary's Order #3223
  13. ↑ Department of the Interior: Secretary's Order #3224
  14. ↑ Department of the Interior: Secretary's Order #3210

External links

Political divisions of the United States
States
Federal district
Insular areas
Outlying islands
Bajo Nuevo Bank · Baker Island · Howland Island · Jarvis Island · Johnston Atoll · Kingman Reef · Midway Atoll · Navassa Island · Palmyra Atoll · Serranilla Bank · Wake Island