Kingman Reef
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Kingman Reef is a coral reef and unincorporated territory of the United States located in the Pacific Ocean. It matters as part of the U.S. territorial holdings and as a natural reef ecosystem in the Pacific region.
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Kingman Reef (/ˈkɪŋmən/) is a largely submerged, uninhabited, triangle-shaped reef, geologically an atoll, 9.0 nmi (20 km) east-west and 4.5 nmi (8 km) north-south, in the North Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway between the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. It has an area of 3 hectares (0.03 km; 7.4 acres) and is an unincorporated territory of the United States in Oceania. The reef is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as the Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge. It was claimed by the United States in 1859 and later used briefly as a stopover for commercial Pacific flying boat routes in the 1930s going to New Zealand; however, the route was changed with a different stopover. It was administered by the Navy from 1934 to 2000 and thereafter by the Fish and Wildlife Service. It has since become a marine protected area. In the 19th century, it was noted as a maritime hazard, earning the name Hazard Rocks, and is known to have been hit once in 1876. In the 21st century, it has been noted for its marine biodiversity and remote nature. Hundreds of fish and coral species are on and around the reef.
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Coral reefs of the United StatesInsular areas of the United StatesLine IslandsNational Wildlife Refuges in the United States insular areasPacific islands claimed under the Guano Islands ActPacific Islands Heritage Marine National MonumentProtected areas established in 2001Reefs of the Pacific OceanReefs of the United StatesUninhabited Pacific islands of the United StatesUnited States Minor Outlying Islands