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Background:
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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
privately owned by the Nature Conservancy. This
organization is managing the atoll 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. |
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Location:
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Oceania,
atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between
Hawaii and American Samoa |
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Geographic coordinates:
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5 52 N,
162 06 W |
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total:
11.9 sq km
land: 11.9 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about 20
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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14.5 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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equatorial, hot, and very rainy |
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Terrain:
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very low
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 2 m |
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Natural resources:
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terrestrial and aquatic wildlife |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (forests and woodlands) (2005) |
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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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about 50
islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and
balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall |
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Population:
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no
indigenous inhabitants; 4 to 20 Nature Conservancy
staff, US Fish and Wildlife staff (July 2005 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Palmyra Atoll |
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Dependency status:
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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 or within the lagoon |
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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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no
economic activity |
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Highways:
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most of
the roads and many causeways built during World War II
are unserviceable and overgrown (2001) |
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Ports and harbors:
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West
Lagoon |
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Airports:
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1 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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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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