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Background:
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The US
took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The
laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through
the islands, brought the first residents in 1903.
Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling
stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory
over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the
turning points of World War II. The islands continued to
serve as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the
islands are a national wildlife refuge. From 1996 to
2001 the refuge was open to the public; it is now
temporarily closed. |
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Location:
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Oceania,
atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the
way from Honolulu to Tokyo |
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Geographic coordinates:
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28 13 N,
177 22 W |
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total:
6.2 sq km
land: 6.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Eastern Island, Sand Island, and
Spit Island |
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Area - comparative:
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about
nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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15 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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subtropical; moderated by prevailing easterly winds |
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Terrain:
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low,
nearly level |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 13 m |
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Natural resources:
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wildlife,
terrestrial and aquatic |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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0 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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NA |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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a coral
atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge and open to
the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form
of wildlife observation and photography, sport fishing,
snorkeling, and scuba diving; the refuge is temporarily
closed for reorganization at present (2004) |
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Population:
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no
indigenous inhabitants; approximately 40 people make up
the staff of US Fish and Wildlife Service and their
services contractor living at the atoll (July 2005 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Midway Islands |
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Dependency status:
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unincorporated territory of the US; formerly
administered from Washington, DC, by the US Navy; on 31
October 1996, through a presidential executive order,
the jurisdiction and control of the atoll was
transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US
Department of the Interior as part of the National
Wildlife Refuge system |
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Legal system:
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the laws
of the US, where applicable, apply |
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Flag description:
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the flag
of the US is used |
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Economy - overview:
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The
economy is based on providing support services for the
national wildlife refuge activities located on the
islands. All food and manufactured goods must be
imported. |
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Highways:
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total:
NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km |
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Ports and harbors:
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Sand
Island |
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Airports:
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3 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Transportation - note:
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airfield
serves as an emergency landing site for commercial
aircraft crossing the Pacific Ocean |
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Military - note:
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defense
is the responsibility of the US |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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