14 Facts About Midway Atoll

Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an unorganized and unincorporated territory.

Roughly equidistant between North America and Asia, Midway Atoll is the only island in the Hawaiian Archipelago that is not part of the state of Hawaii.

Unlike the other Hawaiian islands, Midway observes Samoa Time, which is one hour behind the time in the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone used in Hawaii.

For statistical purposes, Midway Atoll is grouped as one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands.

Midway Atoll is not considered part of the State of Hawaii due to the Hawaiian Organic Act of 1900 that formally annexed Hawaii to the United States as a territory, which defined Hawaii as "the islands acquired by the United States of America under an Act of Congress entitled 'Joint resolution to provide for annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States, '" referring to the Newlands Resolution of 1898.

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Midway Atoll is part of a chain of volcanic islands, atolls, and seamounts extending from the Island of Hawaii up to the tip of the Aleutian Islands and known as the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, between Pearl and Hermes Atoll and Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Midway Atoll was formed roughly 28 million years ago when the seabed underneath it was over the same hotspot from which the Island of Hawaii is being formed.

Midway Atoll was once a shield volcano, perhaps as large as the island of Lana?i.

Midway Atoll has no indigenous inhabitants and was uninhabited until the 19th century.

Midway Atoll was a convenient refueling stop on transpacific flights, and was an important stop for Navy ships.

Midway Atoll was attacked by two destroyers on the same day, and the Japanese force was successfully repulsed in the first American victory of the war.

The Battle of Midway Atoll was, by most accounts, the beginning of the end of the Imperial Japanese Navy's control of the Pacific Ocean.

Islands of Midway Atoll have been extensively altered as a result of human habitation.

An albatross on Midway Atoll can have up to 50 percent of its intestinal tract filled with plastic.