Geography and geologyĮnlargeable, detailed map of Midway Atoll Midway Atoll is approximately 140 nmi (259 km 161 mi) east of the International Date Line, about 2,800 nmi (5,200 km 3,200 mi) west of San Francisco, and 2,200 nmi (4,100 km 2,500 mi) east of Tokyo. In defining which islands the State of Hawaii would inherit from the Territory, the Hawaii Admission Act of 1959 clarified the question, specifically excluding Midway (along with Palmyra Island, Johnston Island, and Kingman Reef) from the jurisdiction of the state. Brooks of the sealing ship Gambia sighted it in 1859, it was assumed at the time that Midway was independently acquired by the United States when Captain William Reynolds of USS Lackawanna visited in 1867, and thus not part of the Hawaii Territory. While it could be argued that Midway became part of Hawaii when Captain N.C. Midway is not considered part of the State of Hawaii due to the Hawaiian Organic Act of 1900 that formally annexed Hawaii to the United States as a territory, which defined Hawaii as "the islands acquired by the United States of America under an Act of Congress entitled 'Joint resolution to provide for annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States,'" referring to the Newlands Resolution of 1898. It is near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Tokyo, Japan. LocationĪs its name suggests, Midway is roughly equidistant between North America and Asia, and lies almost halfway around the world longitudinally from Greenwich, England. Nearly all supplies must be brought to the island by ship or plane, although a hydroponic greenhouse and garden supply some fresh fruits and vegetables. The economy is derived solely from governmental sources and tourist fees. Tours focused on both the unique ecology of Midway, as well as its military history. In 2012, the last year that the visitor program was in operation, 332 people made the trip to Midway. Visitation to the atoll is possible only for business reasons, which includes permanent and temporary staff, contractors, and volunteers, as the tourism program has been suspended due to budget cutbacks. Fish and Wildlife Service and contract workers. The battle was a critical Allied victory and a major turning point of the Pacific campaign of World War II.Ībout 40 people live on the atoll, mostly staff of the U.S. Aircraft based at the then-named Henderson Field on Eastern Island joined with United States Navy ships and planes in an attack on a Japanese battle group that sank four carriers, one heavy cruiser and defended the atoll from invasion. The refuge and most of its surrounding area are part of the larger Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.įrom 1941 until 1993, the atoll was the home of Naval Air Facility Midway Island, which played a crucial role in the Battle of Midway, June 4–6, 1942. The Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, encompassing 590,991.50 acres (239,165.77 ha) of land and water in the surrounding area, is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). For statistical purposes, Midway is grouped as one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands. Unlike the other Hawaiian islands, Midway observes Samoa Time ( UTC−11:00, i.e., eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time), which is one hour behind the time in the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone used in Hawaii. Roughly equidistant between North America and Asia, Midway is the only island in the Hawaiian Archipelago that is not part of the state of Hawaii. Forming a rough, incomplete circle around the two main islands and creating Midway Lagoon is Spit Island, a narrow reef. Immediately to the east of Sand Island across the narrow Brooks Channel is Eastern Island, which is uninhabited and no longer has any facilities. The largest island is Sand Island, which has housing and an airstrip. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an unorganized and unincorporated territory. Midway Atoll ( colloquial: Midway Islands Hawaiian: Kauihelani, lit.'the backbone of heaven' Pihemanu, 'the loud din of birds') is a 2.4 sq mi (6.2 km 2) atoll in the North Pacific Ocean.
Map showing the location of Midway Atoll in the Hawaiian island chain
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