🇺🇲 United States Minor Outlying Islands

Territory and Sovereignty

Basic Information

About territory

The United States Minor Outlying Islands are a statistical designation encompassing eight island groups and one island in the Caribbean, all territories of the United States. These remote locations, scattered across the Pacific and Caribbean, are largely uninhabited and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Historically, many of these islands were claimed under the Guano Islands Act, due to deposits of guano, a valuable fertilizer. Wake Island, for example, was a crucial stopover for aircraft during World War II and saw intense fighting in 1941. Despite their remoteness, these islands hold strategic importance and contribute to the United States' presence in the Pacific and Caribbean regions.

Codes & Identifiers