Midway Atoll

Introduction:

Midway Atoll is a 2.4-square-mile atoll in the North Pacific Ocean.   Midway is roughly equidistant between North America and Asia.  Midway Atoll is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States.  Midway continues to be the only island in the Hawaiian archipelago that is not part of the state of Hawaii.

Midway Within Hawaii
Midway Within Hawaii

For statistical purposes, Midway is grouped as one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands.  The Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, encompassing 590,991.50 acres of land and water in the surrounding area, is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).  The refuge and most of its surrounding area are part of the larger Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Until 1993, the atoll was the home of the Naval Air Facility Midway Island.  The Battle of Midway, which was fought between June 4 and 6, 1942, was one of the most important battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II.  The United States Navy defeated a Japanese battle group marking a turning point in the war in the Pacific Theater.  USAAF aircraft based at the original Henderson Field on Eastern Island joined the attack against the Japanese fleet, which suffered losses of four carriers and one heavy cruiser.

Approximately 40 to 60 people live on the atoll, which includes staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and contract workers.

Eastern Island Midway Atoll
Eastern Island Midway Atoll

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.  In 2012, the last year that the visitor program was in operation, 332 people made the trip to Midway.   Tours focused on both the unique ecology of Midway as well as its military history.  The economy is derived solely from governmental sources and tourist fees.  Nearly all supplies must be brought to the island by ship or plane, though a hydroponic greenhouse and garden supply some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Location:

As its name suggests, Midway is roughly equidistant between North America and Asia, and lies almost halfway around the world longitudinally from Greenwich, UK.  It is near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Tokyo, Japan.

Midway Atoll Location
Midway Atoll Location

Midway Atoll is less than 140 nautical miles east of the International Date Line, about 2,800 nautical miles west of San Francisco, and 2,200 nautical miles east of Tokyo.

Geography and Geology:

Island                    Acres

Sand Island         1,117

Eastern Island    136

Spit Island           6

Total land            1,549

Midway Atoll is part of a chain of volcanic islands, atolls, and seamounts extending from Hawaii up to the tip of the Aleutian Islands and known as the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain.  It consists of a ring-shaped barrier reef nearly five miles in diameter and several sand islets.

Midway Atoll from Satellite
Midway Atoll from Satellite

The two significant pieces of land, Sand Island and Eastern Island, provide a habitat for millions of seabirds.  The island sizes are shown in the table above.  The atoll, which has a small population (approximately 60 in 2014, but no indigenous inhabitants), is designated an insular area under the authority of the United States Department of the Interior.

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