Midway Islands:
Geography

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Background	The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a national wildlife refuge. From 1996 to 2001 the refuge was open to the public; it is now temporarily closed.

Location	Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the way from Honolulu to Tokyo
Geographic coordinates	28 12 N, 177 22 W
Map references	Oceania
Area	total: 6.2 sq km land: 6.2 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Eastern Island, Sand Island, and Spit Island
Area - comparative	about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	15 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	subtropical; moderated by prevailing easterly winds
Terrain	low, nearly level
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 13 m
Natural resources	wildlife, terrestrial and aquatic
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land	0 sq km
Natural hazards	NA
Environment - current issues	NA
Geography - note	a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge and open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form of wildlife observation and photography, sport fishing, snorkeling, and scuba diving; the refuge is temporarily closed for reorganization at present (2004)

Midway Islands: Geography

Midway Islands:
Geography