Jarvis Island

Jarvis Island

Introduction Jarvis Island
Background: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889, but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935. Abandoned after World War II, the island is currently a National Wildlife Refuge administered by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast. Geography Jarvis Island -
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and the Cook Islands
Geographic coordinates: 0 22 S, 160 03 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 4.5 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 4.5 sq km
Area - comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 7 m
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island poses a maritime hazard Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife People Jarvis Island
Population: uninhabited note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate: NA Government Jarvis Island
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jarvis Island
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used Economy Jarvis Island -
Economy - overview: no economic activity Transportation Jarvis Island
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island
Transportation - note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast Military Jarvis Island
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard Transnational Issues Jarvis Island Disputes - international: none

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▪ island, Pacific Ocean

formerly  Bunker Island,  Volunteer Island,  Jervis Island , or  Brook Island 

      coral atoll, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Northern Line Islands, west-central Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southwest of Honolulu. The atoll has an area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 square km). It was sighted in 1821 by Capt. Brown of the British ship Eliza Francis and was claimed in 1856 by the United States under the Guano Act. The guano deposits were worked from 1857 to 1879. Britain annexed Jarvis in 1889 but did not exploit it. The United States reclaimed it in 1935. There are no permanent inhabitants. The island is visited by migratory seabirds and shorebirds as well as threatened and endangered sea turtles. A U.S. National Wildlife Refuge, Jarvis Island was also designated part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine national monument in 2009.

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