Palmyra Atoll
Palmyra Atoll viewed from the northwest, 2011
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 Palmyra Atoll
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| Geography | |
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| Coordinates | 5°53′N 162°5′W / 5.883°N 162.083°WCoordinates: 5°53′N 162°5′W / 5.883°N 162.083°W |
| Archipelago | North Pacific |
| Total islands | 4 |
| Area | 12 km2 (4.6 sq mi) |
| Coastline | 14 km (8.7 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1.8288 m (6 ft) |
| Administration | |
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United States
Palmyra Atoll is under the administration of the Office of Insular Affairs |
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| Demographics | |
| Population | 4–20 (2008) |
| Additional information | |
| Designated | April 1, 2011 |
Palmyra Atoll (/pælˈmaɪrə/) is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati Line Islands), located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, roughly one-third of the way between Hawaii and American Samoa. The nearest continent is almost 5,400 kilometres (3,400 miles) to the northeast. The atoll is 4.6 sq mi (12 km2), and it is located in the equatorial Northern Pacific Ocean. Its 9 mi (14 km) of coastline has one anchorage known as West Lagoon.
It is an unoccupied equatorial Northern Pacific atoll administered as an unorganized incorporated territory by the United States federal government. The 12-square-kilometre (4.6 sq mi) territory hosts a variable temporary population of 4–25 "non-occupants", namely staff and scientists employed by various departments of the U.S. Government and by The Nature Conservancy, Inc., as well as a rotating mix of Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium scholars pursuing research.
The atoll consists of an extensive reef, two shallow lagoons, and some 50 sand and reef-rock islets and bars covered with vegetation—mostly Coconut palms, Scaevola, and tall Pisonia trees.
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