United States Minor Outlying Islands

The United States Minor Outlying Islands is a collective name for nine small, widely scattered US insular areas in the Pacific and Caribbean. Most are uninhabited coral atolls or islands managed as national wildlife refuges, giving the territory a remote, conservation-focused character rather than a conventional tourism profile.

The best-known islands include Wake Island, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island and Navassa Island. Midway Atoll and Palmyra Atoll host small rotating staffs and occasional permitted researchers, while Wake Island is managed as a US military installation.

These sites are valued mainly for their natural and historical significance. Low coral atolls, reefs, lagoons and open ocean support seabird colonies, sea turtles and some of the most intact tropical marine ecosystems under US jurisdiction. Midway Atoll is also remembered for the 1942 Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific war.

Public access is extremely limited. There are no regular commercial flights or passenger ferries, and entry generally requires special-use permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service or authorization from the military. Airstrips exist at Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island, used mainly by charter, research and military aircraft.

Transport within the islands is minimal because road networks are small or absent. Movement on permitted visits is normally arranged by the managing agency or research station, making advance planning and official approval essential for any journey to these remote territories.