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|country_largest_city = Sand Island
|country_capital_and_largest_city =
|country_largest_city_population = 40<ref name="CIA 2023">{{cite web |title=United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
|country_leader_title =
|country_leader_name =
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==Climate==
Despite being located at 28°
{{Weather box|width=800px|
|location=Midway Atoll
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[[File:Starr 080531-4733 Midway Island Cable station building (nb 643) in May 2008 with cocos nucifera.jpg|thumb|left|The buildings of the [[Commercial Pacific Cable Company]] date back to 1903 (2008).]]
The first attempt at settlement was in 1870, when the [[Pacific Mail Steamship Company]] started a project of blasting and [[dredging]] a ship channel through the reef to the lagoon using money put up by the [[United States Congress]]. The purpose was to establish a mid-ocean [[coaling station]] to avoid the high taxes imposed at ports controlled by the [[Kingdom of Hawai'i]]. {{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} The project was a failure, and the {{USS|Saginaw|1859|6}} evacuated the channel project's work force in October 1870. The ship ran aground on 21 October at [[Kure Atoll]], stranding 93 men. On 18 November, five men set out in a small boat to seek help. On 19 December, four of the men perished when the boat was upset in the breakers off of [[Kauai]]. The survivor reached the U.S. Consulate in [[Honolulu]] on [[Christmas Eve]]. Relief ships were despatched and reached Kure Atoll on 4 January 1871. The survivors of the Saginaw wreck reached Honolulu on 14 January 1871.
===Early 20th century===
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On February 14, 1941, President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] issued [[Executive Order (United States)|Executive Order]] 8682 to create naval defense areas in the central Pacific territories. The proclamation established "Midway Island Naval Defensive Sea Area", which encompassed the territorial waters between the extreme high-water marks and the {{cvt|3|mi|km|adj=on|spell=in}} marine boundaries surrounding Midway. "Midway Island Naval Airspace Reservation" was also established to restrict access to the airspace over the naval defense sea area. Only U.S. government ships and aircraft were permitted to enter the naval defense areas at Midway Atoll unless authorized by the [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]].
Midway's importance to the U.S. was brought into focus on December{{nbsp}}7, 1941, when the Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor|attacked Pearl Harbor]]. Midway was bombarded by two destroyers on the same day; this was the [[
A Japanese submarine bombarded Midway on February{{nbsp}}10, 1942.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=30gRAGjXrIIC&q=midway+%22+feb.+10%22+1942&pg=PA14 |title=World War II: the Encyclopedia of the War Years, 1941–1945 |first1=Norman |last1=Polmar |first2=Thomas B. |last2=Allen |date=August 15, 2012 |publisher=Courier Corporation |access-date=September 16, 2016 |via=Google Books |isbn=9780486479620 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813234030/https://books.google.com/books?id=30gRAGjXrIIC&q=midway+%22+feb.+10%22+1942&pg=PA14 |url-status=live }}</ref> In total, Midway had been attacked 4 times between 7 December 1941 and the Japanese submarine attack of 10 February 1942.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=30gRAGjXrIIC&q=midway+%22+feb.+10%22+1942&pg=PA14 |title=World War II: the Encyclopedia of the War Years, 1941–1945 |first1=Norman |last1=Polmar |first2=Thomas B. |last2=Allen |date=August 15, 2012 |publisher=Courier Corporation |access-date=September 16, 2016 |via=Google Books |isbn=9780486479620 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813234030/https://books.google.com/books?id=30gRAGjXrIIC&q=midway+%22+feb.+10%22+1942&pg=PA14 |url-status=live }}</ref> Four months later, on June 4, 1942, a major naval battle near Midway resulted in the U.S. Navy inflicting a devastating defeat on the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]. Four Japanese fleet [[aircraft carrier]]s, {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}}, {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}}, {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}} and {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Sōryū||2}}, were sunk, along with the loss of hundreds of Japanese aircraft, losses that the [[Japanese Empire]] would never be able to replace. The U.S. lost the aircraft carrier {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|2}}, along with a number of its carrier- and land-based aircraft that were either shot down by Japanese forces or bombed on the ground at the airfields. The [[Battle of Midway]] was, by most accounts, the beginning of the end of the Imperial Japanese Navy's control of the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Alan |title=World War II: Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Campaign - The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/08/world-war-ii-battle-of-midway-and-the-aleutian-campaign/100137/ |website=www.theatlantic.com |access-date=29 December 2021 |language=en |archive-date=December 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229183015/https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/08/world-war-ii-battle-of-midway-and-the-aleutian-campaign/100137/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
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From August 1, 1941, to 1945, it was occupied by U.S. military forces. In 1950, the Navy decommissioned [[Naval Air Station Midway]], only to re-commission it again to support the [[Korean War]]. Thousands of troops on ships and aircraft stopped at Midway for refueling and emergency repairs. From 1968 to September{{nbsp}}10, 1993, Midway Island was a Naval Air Facility.
With about 3,500 people living on Sand Island, Midway also supported the U.S. troops during the [[Vietnam War]]. In June 1969, President [[Richard Nixon]]
[[File:NAS Midway Terminal.jpg|thumb|NAS Midway Terminal 1970]]
'''Amateur Radio'''
[[File:Km6bi.jpg|alt=QSL card from KM6BI|thumb|QSL card from KM6BI]]
Because of its particularly remote location and political status as a U. S. Navy base not part of the State of Hawaii, Midway Islands were a separate Country for amateur radio purposes. During this era there were two main amateur radio stations KM6BI on Sand Island and KM6CE on Eastern Island. Many other amateurs operated under their own callsigns from their own quarters. They all provided a vital link back home via messages and phone patches.
====Missile Impact Location System====
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'''Eastern Island'''
[[File:NSGA Midway Sign.jpg|thumb|NSGA sign 1970.]]
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===Civilian handover===
[[File:Flag of the Midway Islands (local).svg|thumb|The unofficial flag of Midway Atoll, designed by local Fish and Wildlife Service employee Steve Dryden, was introduced on June 4, 2000, the 58th anniversary of the Battle of Midway.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wheeler |first=Skip |date=March 2000 |title=New Flag for Midway |url=https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2000_vol33no1.pdf |journal=NAVA News |volume=33 |access-date=March 14, 2021 |archive-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606083851/https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2000_vol33no1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Lesser-Known Symbols of Minor U.S. Possessions: Part 2. Pacific Ocean—Midway |last=Klimeš |first=Roman |date=July–September 2010 |journal=NAVA News |issue=207 |page=8 |url=https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2010_no207.pdf |access-date=March 15, 2021 |archive-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606112851/https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2010_no207.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>]]▼
In 1978, the Navy downgraded Midway from a Naval Air Station to a Naval Air Facility and large numbers of personnel and dependents began leaving the island. With the war in Vietnam over, and with the introduction of [[reconnaissance satellite]]s and nuclear submarines, Midway's significance to U.S. national security was diminished. The [[World War II Facilities at Midway|World War II facilities]] at Sand and Eastern Islands were listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on May{{nbsp}}28, 1987, and were simultaneously added as a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="nhlsum"/>
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|website=[https://www.fws.gov/refuge/midway_atoll/ Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial]
}}
▲[[File:Flag of the Midway Islands (local).svg|thumb|The unofficial flag of Midway Atoll, designed by local Fish and Wildlife Service employee Steve Dryden, was introduced on June 4, 2000, the 58th anniversary of the Battle of Midway.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wheeler |first=Skip |date=March 2000 |title=New Flag for Midway |url=https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2000_vol33no1.pdf |journal=NAVA News |volume=33 |access-date=March 14, 2021 |archive-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606083851/https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2000_vol33no1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Lesser-Known Symbols of Minor U.S. Possessions: Part 2. Pacific Ocean—Midway |last=Klimeš |first=Roman |date=July–September 2010 |journal=NAVA News |issue=207 |page=8 |url=https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2010_no207.pdf |access-date=March 15, 2021 |archive-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606112851/https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2010_no207.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Midway was designated an overlay [[National Wildlife Refuge]] on April{{nbsp}}22, 1988, while still under the primary jurisdiction of the Navy.
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On October 31, 1996, President [[Bill Clinton]] signed Executive Order 13022, which transferred the jurisdiction and control of the atoll to the United States Department of the Interior. The FWS assumed management of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The last contingent of Navy personnel left Midway on June{{nbsp}}30, 1997, after an ambitious environmental cleanup program was completed.
On September 13, 2000, Secretary of the Interior [[Bruce Babbitt]] designated the Wildlife Refuge as the Battle of Midway National Memorial.<ref>{{cite
On June 15, 2006, President [[George W. Bush]] designated the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a national monument. The [[Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument|Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument]] encompasses {{cvt|105564|sqnmi|sqmi km2|0}}, and includes {{cvt|3910|sqnmi|sqmi km2|0}} of coral reef habitat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/faq.html#13 |title=Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument |work=noaa.gov |access-date=September 16, 2016 |archive-date=May 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506073921/http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/faq.html#13 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Monument also includes the [[Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument|Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge]] and the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
In 2007, the Monument's name was changed to Papahānaumokuākea ({{IPA-haw|ˈpɐpəˈhaːnɔuˈmokuˈaːkeə}}) Marine National Monument.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/Name.html |title=Papahānaumokuākea: A Sacred Name, A Sacred Place |access-date=March 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207082717/http://hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/Name.html |archive-date=February 7, 2008}};<br />Hawaiian pronunciation is given here.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/PMNM_Pronounce.MP3 |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 3, 2012 |archive-date=March 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306221150/http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/PMNM_Pronounce.MP3 |url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/08/26/fact-sheet-president-obama-create-worlds-largest-marine-protected-area |title=Fact Sheet: President Obama to Create the World's Largest Marine Protected Area |date=August 26, 2016 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |access-date=September 16, 2016 |archive-date=January 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120220151/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/08/26/fact-sheet-president-obama-create-worlds-largest-marine-protected-area |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2016/08/secretaries-pritzker-jewell-applaud-presidents-expansion-papahanaumokuakea-marine |title=Secretaries Pritzker, Jewell Applaud President's Expansion of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument |date=August 26, 2016 |work=commerce.gov |access-date=September 16, 2016 |archive-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915040926/https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2016/08/secretaries-pritzker-jewell-applaud-presidents-expansion-papahanaumokuakea-marine |url-status=dead }}</ref> The National Monument is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA), and the State of Hawaii. In 2016 President Obama expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and added the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as a fourth co-trustee of the monument.
== Gooney monument ==
The so-called ''Gooney monument'' shown in the image was carved from a {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on}} mahogany log as a personal project by a U.S. Navy dental officer stationed in the island. The project began in 1949. It was {{convert|11|ft|m}} tall and stood for 40 years before being destroyed by termites. It was replaced with a mock egg after its removal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.midwayisland.com/midway-blog/gooney-bird-monument/|title=Midway Island|website=midwayisland.com|date=December 15, 2017|accessdate=January 4, 2024|archive-date=January 4, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104031240/https://www.midwayisland.com/midway-blog/gooney-bird-monument/|url-status=live}} (includes a transcription of a 1972 [[Navy Times]] article about the statue and a later photo of the monument with the mock egg)</ref>
==Environment==
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==Transportation==
The usual method of reaching Sand Island, Midway Atoll's only populated island, is on chartered aircraft landing at Sand Island's [[Henderson Field (Midway Atoll)|Henderson Field]], which also functions as an emergency diversion point runway for transpacific flights. In 2011 a Boeing 747-400 (Delta flight 277) traveling from Hawaii to Japan made an emergency landing at Henderson Field due to a cracked windshield. Employees of the US [[National Wildlife Refuge]], who were working on the atoll, assisted the landing and cared for the nearly 380 passengers and crew for eight hours until a back-up plane arrived. No injuries were reported.<ref>{{Citation |title=Delta Airlines Emergency landing at Midway island |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcI-pMC1ALA |access-date=2023-05-13 |language=en |archive-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513230135/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcI-pMC1ALA |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Incident: Delta B744 over Pacific on Jun 16th 2011, cracked windshield |url=https://avherald.com/h?article=43e52c40 |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=avherald.com |archive-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513230137/https://avherald.com/h?article=43e52c40 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:MDY Approach.jpg|thumb|MDY Approach.]]
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==External links==
{{wikivoyage|Midway Islands}}
*[https://www.fws.gov/refuge/midway_atoll/ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610065640/http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Midway_Atoll/ |date=June 10, 2016 }} (this article incorporated some content from this public domain site)
*[https://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/visit/midway.html Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument – Midway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823212630/https://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/visit/midway.html |date=August 23, 2022 }}
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7312777.stm Diary from the middle of nowhere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330151414/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7312777.stm |date=March 30, 2008 }} [[BBC]]'s environment correspondent David Shukman reports on the threat of plastic rubbish drifting in the [[North Pacific Gyre]] to Midway. Accessed 2008-03-26.
*[https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-battle-of-midway-turning-the-tide-in-the-pacific-teaching-with-historic-places.htm ''The Battle of Midway: Turning the Tide in the Pacific,'' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231231623/https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-battle-of-midway-turning-the-tide-in-the-pacific-teaching-with-historic-places.htm |date=December 31, 2021 }}
*[http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Midway.html ''Marines at Midway: by Lieutenant Colonel R.D. Heinl, Jr., USMC Historical Section, Division of Public Information Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps 1948,''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623074533/http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Midway.html |date=June 23, 2011 }}
*[http://www.midwayisland.com/ Past residents of Midway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714164734/http://www.midwayisland.com/ |date=July 14, 2014 }} Discussion of Midway related topics by former residents and those interested in Midway.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150327184938/http://www.elstonhill.com/Midway.html Midway Atoll Today (2010)]
*[https://www.islandconservation.org/midway-atoll/ Island Conservation: Midway Atoll Restoration Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927132955/https://www.islandconservation.org/midway-atoll/ |date=September 27, 2020 }}
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