MIDWAY ISLANDS

unincorporated territory of the United States in the central Pacific Ocean, 1,300 mi (2,100 km) northwest of Honolulu. The islands, near the western end of the Hawaiian archipelago, comprise a coral atoll with a circumference of 15 mi, enclosing two islands, Eastern (Green) and Sand. The land area is 2 sq mi (5 sq km). The climate is subtropical. Reported and claimed for the United States in 1859 by Capt. N.C. Brooks, the atoll was first called Middlebrooks and then Brooks; the name Midway dates from the islands' formal annexation by the United States in 1867. In 1903 Pres. Theodore Roosevelt placed the islands under the control of the U.S. Navy, and Sand Island became a station of the HawaiiLuzon submarine cable (1905). Transpacific aviation gave Midway new importance in 1936, when it was made a regular stop on the San FranciscoManila mail run. In 1940 the U.S. Navy began work on an air and submarine base there. In World War II, the Battle of Midway (June 36, 1942), characterized mainly by the actions of carrier-based planes, marked the turning point of the Pacific war. After the war, Midway's importance as a commercial air base was reduced, and regular stops there were eliminated in 1950. That year also saw the reduction of Midway to a naval station and air facility; the air facility was closed in 1993. The islands comprise a National Wildlife Reserve, established to protect their abundant bird life. Pop. (1980) 453.