United States Minor Outlying Islands

The United States Minor Outlying Islands is a statistical designation for nine insular US territories scattered across the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. These islands include Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island in the Pacific, along with Navassa Island in the Caribbean. The islands feature diverse terrain ranging from coral atolls to raised limestone islands, with tropical to subtropical climates depending on location.

These territories have no permanent inhabitants, though some host temporary scientific research stations and military personnel. The islands serve important ecological and strategic functions, including wildlife refuges, marine conservation areas, and military installations. Midway Atoll is particularly renowned for its role in World War II and its current status as a national wildlife refuge. The islands are administered from Washington, DC, by the US Department of the Interior, and their combined land area is relatively small but their exclusive economic zones encompass vast ocean areas rich in marine resources.