Howland Island HQ
A remote, uninhabited coral island in the central Pacific Ocean, managed as a National Wildlife Refuge and best known as the destination Amelia Earhart never reached in 1937.
About Howland Island
Howland Island is a small, low-lying coral island in the central Pacific Ocean, sitting just north of the equator about 42 miles from its nearest neighbor, Baker Island. Barely two-thirds of a square mile in size and rising only about ten feet above the sea, the island is a sun-bleached expanse of coral sand, grasses, and low shrubs. No humans have lived here permanently since 1942.
For such a tiny speck of land, Howland holds an outsized place in history. It was mined for guano in the 19th century, colonized by young Hawaiian settlers in the 1930s, and bombed by Japanese aircraft the day after Pearl Harbor. Most famously of all, it was the refueling stop Amelia Earhart was trying to reach when she vanished over the Pacific in July 1937.
Today Howland exists in quiet isolation as a federally protected wildlife refuge. Its surrounding waters belong to the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one of the largest marine protected areas on the planet, and its shores belong almost entirely to the seabirds.
Aerial view of Howland Island
Nesting seabirds — the island's primary residents
Howland Island vs. a U.S. State
| Feature | Howland Island | U.S. State |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent Population | None | Yes |
| Local Government | None | State government |
| Congressional Representation | None | Senators + Representatives |
| Voting in Federal Elections | No residents | Yes |
| U.S. Constitution Applies | Partially (by statute) | Fully |
| Administered By | Fish & Wildlife Service | Elected officials |
| Incorporated Territory | No | Yes (as a state) |
| Public Access | Restricted permit only | Generally open |