Prompt Cast
The United States Minor Outlying Islands: A Unique Group of Territories
TLDR The United States Minor Outlying Islands are a group of nine territories, each with its own history, that came into possession of the United States in the 19th century. Despite being part of the United States, these territories have few to no permanent residents and are often listed as a separate country option on online forms.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The United States Minor Outlying Islands are a group of nine U.S. territories, separate from populated U.S. territories, that are often listed as a country option on online forms.
01:55
The United States Minor Outlying Islands consist of nine territories, including Navasa in the Caribbean and eight islands in the Pacific, all of which have separate histories and came into possession of the United States in the 19th century.
03:14
Jarvis Island is a one square mile coral atoll that was mined for guano in the 19th century and briefly settled in the 1930s, while Johnston Atoll, located 750 miles southwest of Hawaii, was used for various purposes including a base for sea planes, a nuclear test site, and a missile testing site before being closed down in 2003.
04:30
Kingman Reef is a small piece of land that was used by Pan Am in the 1930s, while Palmyra Atoll used to be part of the Hawaii territory but is now owned by the Nature Conservancy, and Midway Atoll was an important naval airbase during World War II and is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
05:49
Wake Island is the largest of the United States Minor Outlying Islands and has a significant military presence, including an air force base for missile testing, and is part of the Pacific Remote Island's National Marine Monument.
07:07
The United States Minor Outlying Islands is not an actual legal term used by the United States, but rather a designation created by the International Standards Organization for countries and territories around the world, including territories with few to no permanent residents.
08:30
The United States Minor Outlying Islands are a part of the United States, but no one lives there and it doesn't make sense for it to be listed as a country on forms.
