United States Minor Outlying Islands

The United States Minor Outlying Islands is a statistical designation applying to the minor outlying islands and groups of islands that comprise eight United States insular areas and territories in the Pacific Ocean (Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island) and one in the Caribbean Sea (Navassa Island).

It is defined by the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 3166-1 code. The entry code is ISO 3166-2:UM.

While the islands scattered across Polynesia and Micronesia are relatively small, they are strategically important and are rich in history and nature. The nearly barren Howland is famous for being the island renowned American pilot Amelia Earhart intended to land on before she vanished during her round-the-world flight in 1937. Wake, home to an extinct flightless bird, was the site of a pitchedWorld War II battle in 1941, and was an essential stopover for aircraft transiting the Pacific in the mid-20th century. Likewise, Midway Atoll is home to many corals and birds and was also the center of a major battle of WWII, which helped turn the tide of the Pacific War. Other islands are rich in unique biodiversity, such as Palmyra, the site of a WWII base. Johnston Atoll was a famous island for its Cold War base, when it was expanded and used to destroy chemical weapon stockpiles; it was also the site of a nuclear accident. Johnston was heavily modified with land expansion, while others are nearly untouched nature reserves.