Background: The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of the trans-Pacific cable which passed through the islands brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947 Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until closed in 1990. Today the islands are a wildlife refuge open to the public.
Government type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Navy, under command of the Barbers Point Naval Air Station in Hawaii and managed cooperatively by the US Navy and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
Economy overview: The economy is based on providing support services for US naval operations located on the islands. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.