U.S. Minor Outlying Islands — books & literature

The story of U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

The United States Minor Outlying Islands (ISO code UM) are not a single nation but a statistical grouping of nine widely scattered US territories: eight in the Pacific (Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island) and Navassa Island in the Caribbean. Most were first claimed for their phosphate-rich guano deposits after Congress passed the Guano Islands Act of 1856, which let American citizens stake claims on uninhabited islands. Midway Atoll, annexed by the US Navy in 1867, became the first Pacific island the United States ever formally claimed. In the 20th century several of the islands took on strategic military importance: Wake Island was the site of a fierce defense against Japanese invasion in December 1941, and Midway hosted the June 1942 naval battle that turned the tide of the Pacific War. Johnston Atoll later served as a Cold War-era site for nuclear tests and chemical weapons storage. From 1974 the Pacific islands were grouped administratively, and in 1986 the ISO formally created the 'United States Minor Outlying Islands' designation for statistical use. Today none of the islands has a resident civilian population; most are uninhabited wildlife refuges protected within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, visited only by scientists, conservation staff, and, on Wake and Midway, small caretaker or military crews.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1856

   US Congress passes the Guano Islands Act, allowing citizens to claim uninhabited islands rich in guano (bird-droppings fertilizer).

2. 1857

   Navassa Island, in the Caribbean, is claimed by the US under the Guano Islands Act.

3. 1858

   Baker, Howland, and Jarvis islands are claimed for guano mining.

4. 1867

   Midway Atoll is formally claimed by the US Navy , the first Pacific island the United States ever annexed.

5. 1899

   Wake Island is formally claimed by the United States.

6. 1922

   Kingman Reef is placed under US Navy jurisdiction.

7. 1941-1942

   WWII in the Pacific: the Battle of Wake Island (December 1941) and the Battle of Midway (June 1942), a turning point of the war.

8. 1974-1986

   Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Palmyra, and Kingman are grouped administratively as the "United States Miscellaneous Pacific Islands".

9. 1986

   The ISO creates the "United States Minor Outlying Islands" designation (code UM), bundling nine territories for statistical purposes.

10. 2009

    The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument is established, protecting the waters around several of the islands.

Top 10 things to know about U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

1. UM is not one island but a statistical grouping of nine separate US territories.
2. It comprises eight Pacific territories (Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, Wake Island) plus Navassa Island in the Caribbean.
3. Combined land area is only about 34 sq km (~13 sq mi) , smaller than many single city parks.
4. There is no indigenous population and no permanent civilian residents; only Wake and Midway host small caretaker or military staff.
5. Midway Atoll was the site of the Battle of Midway (1942), a turning-point US naval victory over Japan.
6. Johnston Atoll was used for decades as a US military site, including nuclear testing and chemical weapons storage.
7. Most islands were claimed in the 1850s-1860s under the Guano Islands Act for their phosphate-rich bird droppings, once valuable as fertilizer.
8. Several islands , Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Wake, Johnston, Kingman, and Palmyra , are protected within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
9. Palmyra Atoll is largely owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy as a wildlife refuge.
10. The ISO code "UM" exists mainly for statistical and administrative classification , the islands share no government, capital, or currency of their own; US federal law and the US dollar apply.

Did you know?

• ★Howland Island was the intended refueling stop Amelia Earhart was flying toward when she disappeared in 1937.
• ★The native Wake Island rail, a flightless bird found nowhere else on Earth, went extinct during the WWII Japanese occupation.
• ★Navassa Island in the Caribbean is claimed by both the United States and Haiti, making it one of the few disputed US territories.

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands culture

• None of the islands has a permanent civilian population or living culture; they are managed as wildlife refuges or military sites rather than settled communities.
• Access is tightly restricted , most islands require a special-use permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service or the Department of Defense.
• The surrounding waters hold some of the most pristine coral reef ecosystems on Earth, protected within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
• The islands are significant mainly for their strategic military history (Wake, Midway, Johnston) and their role as seabird and marine-life sanctuaries.

Why read U.S. Minor Outlying Islands's books

There is no native literary tradition tied to these uninhabited territories, but their wartime history, aviation mysteries, and wildlife conservation have inspired notable non-fiction accounts , the shelf below gathers books connected to the United States Minor Outlying Islands' story.