The Johnston Atoll is located in the Pacific Ocean
and it is situated between the Hawaiian Islands and the Line islands.
It is one of the most isolated atolls in the world.
Facts
ENGLISH NAME: Johnston Atoll
HAWAIIAN NAME: Kalama Atoll
STATUS: Territory of the United States
DESIGNATED: National Wildlife Refuge
ADMINISTERED BY: United States Fish and Wildlife Service
LOCATION: Northern Pacific Ocean
PUBLIC ENTRY ALLOWED: No
Islands and Islets (sizes in ha)
- Johnston Island | 1942 Size: 19 | 1964 Size: 241 |
- Sand Island | 1942 Size: 4 | 1964 Size: 9 |
- North Island (Akau) | 1942 Size: n/a | 1964 Size: 10 |
- East Island (Hikina) | 1942 Size: n/a | 1964 Size: 7 |
U.S. National Wildlife Refuge
On June 29, 1926, by Executive Order 4467, President Calvin Coolidge
established Johnston Island Reservation as a federal bird refuge
and placed it under the control of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
as a refuge and breeding ground for native birds.
U.S. Military History
On February 14, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive
Order 8682 to create naval defense areas in the central Pacific territories.
The proclamation established the Johnston Island Naval Defensive Sea Area
which encompassed the territorial waters between the extreme high-water
marks and the three-mile marine boundaries surrounding the atoll.
The atoll was under the control of the
United States military for more than 70 years.
It was used a various tijes as a naval refueling depot,
an airbase, a secret missile base, a nuclear weapons
testing site, a biological Weapons testing site,
and a storage and disposal site for Agent Orange
and other chemical weapons.
Remote Islands National Wildlife Complex
Designated after military mission ended in 2004.
Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument
Designated on January 6, 2009
Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
History of the Johnston Atoll
Articles About the Johnston Atoll
Resources
-
US-FWS "Johnston Atoll Wildlife Refuge" Article
-
Wikipedia "Johnston Atoll" Article
-
Johnston Memories Dot Com
Resources (2)
Today Johnston Island is a United States national wildlife
refuge but it was under miliary control between
1934-2004. During that time it was used as a naval
refueling depot, a testing ground for nuclear and biological
weapons, a space recovery location, a secret missile base
and as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons and
the Agent Orange herbacide.
Facts About the Johnston Atoll
ENGLISH NAME: Johnston Atoll
HAWAIIAN NAME: Kalama Atoll
NAMED AFTER: Charles J. Johnston, captain of the brig Sally
STATUS: Unincorporated Territory of the United States
ADMINISTERED BY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
LONGITUDE: -169° 31' 26.40" W
LATITUDE: 16° 44' 13.20" N
SITUATED: Between Hawaiian Islands and the Line Islands
BODY OF WATER: Pacific Ocean
Islands of the Johnston Atoll
Two of the atoll's islands are natural Islands (Johnston and Sand)
and both of them were designated a U.S. federal bird reserve in 1926.
The other two islands i the atoll were man-made by dredging.
By 1964, military dredge and fill operations had increased the size of Johnston
Island to 596 acres from its original 46 acres, and increased Sand Island
from 10 to 22 acres. The dredging efforts also added two new islands,
25 acre North Island and 18 acre East Island.
- Johnston Island | 1942: 19 ha | 1964 size: 241 ha |
- Sand Island | 1942: 4 ha | 1964: 9 ha |
- North Island | 1942: 0 ha | 1964: 10 ha | (aka "Akau")
- East island | 1942: 0 ha | 1964: 7 ha | (aka "Hikina")
- Plus a marginal, emergent reef on the northwest side
Johnston Island Air Force Base (closed in 2005)
Wikipedia Article
Urban Ghost Media Article
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
Northwest Hawaiian Islands
Southeast Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii for Visitors
