Background: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858 but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934 and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete and cleanup and closure of the facility is progressing.
Geography Note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; closed to the public; former US nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); some low-growing vegetation
Economy overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to US military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.