Howland Island

Howland Island is a coral island located in the central Pacific Ocean.

It sits just north of the equator. The island is positioned roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia. It is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States. Howland is part of the Phoenix Islands, alongside Baker Island. For statistical purposes, it is grouped as one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands. Today, the entire island and its surrounding submerged lands are managed as the Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge.

This makes it a strict nature reserve under the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is also part of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.

The physical landscape of the island is very low and sandy. It has an elongated shape similar to a cucumber on a north-south axis. The terrain consists of a coral island with a slightly raised central area. The highest point reaches approximately 40 feet above sea level. A narrow fringing reef surrounds the island, which may pose a maritime hazard to ships. There are no natural fresh water resources available on the land. The climate is equatorial with intense sunshine and low rainfall. However, the temperatures are moderated by easterly trade winds.

Vegetation includes scattered grasses, prostrate vines, and low-growing pisonia trees and shrubs.

The island serves as a vital habitat for many different species. It is primarily used for nesting, roosting, and foraging by seabirds and shorebirds. Marine wildlife also uses the surrounding waters. Because of this, BirdLife International has recognized the island and its waters as an Important Bird Area. This includes colonies of lesser frigatebirds and masked boobies. It also supports red-tailed tropicbirds and sooty terns. Additionally, the island serves as a migratory stopover for bristle-thighed curlews. The area is quiet and lacks any current economic activity.

Human history on the island began with various maritime encounters. Captain William Bligh of the HMS Bounty recorded stopping there in April 1789. He and his 18 crew members searched the island for food like birds and oysters. In the 19th century, the island became a site for guano mining. Guano is a type of material used for fertilizer. The United States claimed the island in 1857 under the Guano Islands Act. American companies mined these deposits from about 1857 until 1878. During this time, laborers from around the Pacific, including Hawaii, worked on the island.

In the 1930s, a new chapter of history began with the American Equatorial Islands Colonization Project. This project aimed to establish a permanent U.S. presence in the central Pacific. A small settlement called Itascatown was created on the western side of the island.

The colonists lived in small wood-framed structures and tents. They worked on infrastructure, such as clearing a landing strip for airplanes. They also maintained a day beacon for navigation.

However, this era was interrupted by World War II. The island was attacked and bombed, which killed two people and led to an evacuation. The airstrips were eventually damaged and disappeared.

Howland Island is perhaps most famous for its connection to aviation history. The island was the destination Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan were trying to reach.

They were attempting a round-the-world flight when they disappeared in 1937.

This event has led to many visits to the island to honor or search for the lost aviators. Today, some historical remains still exist. Visitors can see stone and wood ruins from the colonization period or World War II. There is also a stone tower known as the Earhart Light.

Because the island is uninhabited, it does not have a standard time zone. Instead, it uses a nautical time zone called International Date Line West. This is 12 hours behind UTC. This specific designation is also known as "Anywhere on Earth" or AoE. Howland Island and Baker Island are the only two places on Earth that observe this time. This means a calendar day only expires once it has passed everywhere else on the planet. This unique status highlights the remote and isolated nature of the island in the vast Pacific Ocean.