Midway Islands - geography.

Midway Islands - geography. Midway Islands, coral atoll consisting of two islets in the central Pacific Ocean, owned by the United States, located 2,100 km (1,300 mi) northwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. The islands were named for their location near the geographic center of the Pacific Ocean. The two islets comprising the atoll are Eastern and Sand; the atoll has an overall area of 5 sq km (2 sq mi). The Midway atoll was discovered in 1859 by an American sea captain; the U.S. took possession in 1867. A transpacific cable station was built (1903) by the U.S. Marines on Sand Island. The atoll was declared a naval reservation by President Theodore Roosevelt in the same year. In 1936 Midway became a stopping point on the transpacific air route to the Philippines. During the 1930s a Marine garrison was established and naval and air defenses constructed on Midway. During World War II, U.S. forces defeated (June 1942) a Japanese fleet in the decisive Battle of Midway, fought nearby. Midway was used as a U.S. naval base until 1993 when it became a national wildlife refuge, notable for the world's largest colony of Laysan albatross. The Midway Islands were made part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument in 2006. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.